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TOBACCO  CULTURE 


PUBLISHED  BY 

GERMAN  KALI  WORKS, 

New  York,  N.  Y,          Baltimore,  Md,         Chicago,  III,         Havana,  Cuba 


NOTICE. 

Every  farmer  can  obtain,  free  of  charge,  a  copy  of  the 
following  agricultural  books: 

POTASH  IN  AGRICULTURE 

PRINCIPLES  OF  PROFITABLE  FARMING 

FARMERS'  GUIDE 

COTTON  CULTURE 

TROPICAL  PLANTING 

STASSFURT  INDUSTRY 

FERTILIZING  TOBACCO 

FERTILIZING  SUGAR  CANE 

SUGAR  BEET  CULTURE 

SUGAR  CANE  CULTURE 

THE  COW  PEA 

PLANT  FOOD 

TRUCK  FARMING 

WHY  THE  FISH  FAILED 

FARMERS' NOTE  BOOK 

STRAWBERRY  CULTURE 

ORANGE  CULTURE 

V*LUE  OF  SWAMP  LAND 

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ADDRESS  :  /.  v  J  \iri  \. .  { 

GERMAN  KALI  WORKS. 

NEW  YORK,  N  Y,  BALTIMORE,  MD.   CHICAGO,  ILL,  HAVANA,  CUBA 

93  Nassau  St.  Continental  Bldjj.      562  Monadiiock  Blk.     Empedrado,  30 


PREFACE. 


The  growing  of  Tobacco  has  become  a  large  and  im- 
portant industry,  especially  in  Cuba  and  in  ihe  United 
States.  In  both  countries  millions  of  dollars  are  invested 
not  only  in  the  plantations,  but  in  factories  and  the  manuf- 
actured product.  Besides,  the  Tobacco  business  gives  em- 
ployment to  many  thousands  of  people,  and  the  better  the 
crops,  the  greater  their  prosperity. 

It  is  believed  that  this  will  give  the  Tobacco  grower 
many  "  suggestions  "  which  may  be  of  value  in  a  practical 
way.  Thus,  there  are  described  the  various  Plant5,  Soils 
and  Manures,  and  how  the  successful  Tobacco  planter  uses 
them  in  order  to  produce  the  very  best,  as  well  as  largest 
crops,  for  quality  in  Tobacco  culture  is  a  more  important 
item  than  quantity. 


INTRODUCTION. 

TT  IS  an  interesting  fact  that  three  of  the  most  important 
plants  of  the  world  are  indigenous  to  American  soil. 
Two  of  these,  Corn  and  the  Potato,  have  become  important 
food  crops  for  millions  of  people,  while  the  third,  Tobacco, 
supplies  the  world  with  its  most  popular  and  least  harmful 
stimulant-narcotic. 

The  commercial  importance  of  Tobacco  can  best  be 
shown  by  its  average  market  value,  which  has  increased  40 
per  cent,  in  thirty  years,  its  acreage  being  but  30  per  cent, 
greater  than  it  was  thirty  years  ago. 

At  present,  more  than  700,000  acres  of  land  are  planted 
each  year  in  this  country  with  Tobacco.  According  to 
statistics,  the  average  annual  crop  amounts  to  over  600,000,- 
ooo  pounds,  valued  at  over  $50,000,000.  The  Tobacco  crop 
ranks  high  among  the  crops  of  the  country  in  point  of  value, 
and  the  value  of  the  manufactured  products  of  Tobacco  for 
the  country  has  been  carefully  estimated  at  over  $200,000,- 
ooo,  or  nearly  one-half  the  value  of  our  flouring  mill  prod- 
ucts. These  and  many  other  facts  show  the  commercial  im- 
portance of  the  Tobacco  crop  in  this  country. 


CLASSIFICATION. 

The  tobacco  plant  is  cultivated  over  a  wide  area,  or 
range  of  territory,  owing  to  its  wonderful  adaptation  to  dif- 
ferent soils  and  climates.  And  yet,  it  is  probably  more  de- 
pendent upon  its  environment,  and  more  greatly  modified 
in  character  and  in  quality  by  its  surroundings,  than  almost 
any  other  cultivated  plant.  Thus  while  Wisconsin  and 
Sumatra,  Virginia  and  Cuba,  make  the  production  of  tobacco 
special  features  of  their  agriculture,  and  have  become 
centres  of  its  production,  still  each  locality  produces  its  dis- 
tinctive class  or  kind  of  tobacco.  The  variations  in  the 
grade  of  Tobacco  are  so  clearly  the  result  of  soil  conditions 
influenced  largely  by  methods  of  cultivation  and  plant  feed- 
ing or  fertilizer  used,  that  they  will  be  discussed  separately 
in  this  book. 

The  location,  soil  and  climate  in  which  the  tobacco  crop 
is  grown,  and  the  widely  differing  properties  of  these  crops 
lead  to  very  marked  differences  in  cultivation.  In  the  trade 
there  are  many  sub-divisions  for  each  class,  or  type,  of  to- 
bacco handled,  but  for  our  purposes  here,  we  will  treat  of 
four  classes,  as  follows:  (i)  Cigar  Leaf,  (2)  Export  Tobacco, 
(3)  Bright  Leaf  and  Manufacturing  and  (4)  Perique. 

(i)  Cigar  Leaf.  Tobacco  for  cigar  manufacture,  in- 
cludes three  different  types  of  leaf,  viz  ,  the  Connecticut 
seed  leaf,  the  Cuban,  and  the  Sumatra  varieties.  Moreover 
there  are  different  grades,  resulting  either  from  crossing  or 
from  local  conditions  of  soil,  climate,  planting  or  methods 
of  fertilizing  employed. 


6  TVOS.A C CO    CULTURE. 

Cigar  tobaccos  are  grown  for  two  distinct  purposes, 
namely:  for  flavor  or  aroma,  and  for  texture  of  the  leaf, 
which  properties  adapt  it  for  use  as  cigar  wrappers.  For 
aroma,  the  Vuelta  Abajo  may  be  accepted  as  typical,  while 
for  wrapper  purposes,  Connecticut  seed  leaf  and  Sumatra 
tobaccos  are  typical. 

(2.)  Export  Tobaccos.  These  tobaccos  include  several 
different  types,  each  meeting  various  demands  of  the  trade. 
Usually  they  are  of  rank  growth,  heavy,  coarse-grained  and 
strong  flavored.  They  are  used  for  manufacturing  smoking 
products  required  in  foreign  countries.  Their  value  lies  in 
their  strength,  as  they  are  chiefly  used  in  mixtures,  either 
with  inferior  tobaccos,  or  with  other  vegetable  adulterants. 

(3.)  Bright  Leaf  and  Manufacturing  Tobacco.  Bright 
Leaf  is  produced  largely  in  the  Carolinas,  Virginia  and 
Eastern  Tennessee,  and  is  valuable  for  its  flavor  and  aroma; 
its  bright  yellow  color  adds  to  its  popularity.  It  is  used  al- 
most entirely  for  pipe  and  cigarette  tobaccos,  and  for  wrap- 
pers for  plug  tobacco.  White  Burley  Tobacco  is  grown  in 
the  Southern  counties  of  Ohio  and  in  the  north  central 
counties  of  Kentucky,  and  is  used  for  plug  tobacco.  It  is 
very  mild,  has  a  good  flavor,  and  is  an  excellent  absorbent, 
and  for  these  reasons,  it  is  popular  with  manufacturers. 

(4.)  Perique.  This  tobacco  belongs  to  the  coarse,  heavy 
type  of  tobaccos.  Its  distinctive  properties  are  the  result 
rather  of  the  method  of  curing  than  of  the  quality  of  leaf. 
It  is  grown  exclusively  upon  the  moist  alluvial  bottom  lands 
of  St.  James  River,  and  one  or  two  other  Parishes  in  Louis- 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  7 

iana,  but  its  commercial  importance  is  comparatively  small. 
Peculiarities  of  flavor  and  form  of  marketing,  however, 
make  it  necessary  to  consider  this  class  under  a  special 
heading. 

All  classes  or  types  of  tobacco,  belong  to  a  single  spec- 
ies, Nicotiana  tabacum,  closely  related  to  wild  and  cultivated 
plants,  among  which  are:  the  petunia,  Irish  potato,  egg- 
plant, and  "  jimson  "  weed. 

Tobacco  plants  of  all  varieties  have  much  the  same 
habits  of  growth  and  characteristics.  They  grow  from  three 
to  nine  feet  in  height,  possess  wide  spread,  lanceolate  leaves 
attached  spirally  and  alternately  to  the  stalk,  at  distances  of 
about  two  inches.  The  flowers  form  large  clusters  with 
pink-tipped  white  corollas,  which,  when  grown  in  masses, 
present  so  attractive  an  appearance,  that  the  plant  is  fre- 
quently grown  for  purely  ornamental  purposes. 

SOILS  FOR  TOBACCO. 

While  all  crops  are  true  to  seed,  grades  are  the  result  of 
soil  differences,  peculiarities  of  climate,  of  planting  and  cul- 
tivation methods,  and  of  systematic  and  intelligent  fertiliza- 
tion, etc.  As  the  market  calls  for  these  distinct  grades  in 
tobaccos,  this  point  becomes  a  very  important  one  for  the 
planter  to  observe.  It  is  doubtful  if  an  expert  could  dis- 
tinguish between  wheat,  or  corn,  or  potatoes  produced  in 
Connecticut,  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  North  Carolina  or 
Wisconsin.  Tobacco  seed,  however,  taken  from  any  one  of 
these  localities  to  another,  will,  in  a  single  season,  produce 


TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

a  crop  so  distinct  from  that  of  the  parent  plant,  as  to  be 
very  noticeable,  and  in  a  few  seasons'  growth  it  will  have 
lost  nearly  all  resemblance  to  the  original  type. 

Climate  cannot  be  held  wholly  responsible  for  these 
variations  nor  can  they  be  wholly  attributed  to  the  peculiar- 
ities of  soils.  Il  is  worthy  of  note  that  even  the  chemist's 
analysis  fails  to  show  such  differences  in  the  compositions 
of  these  soils,  as  might  reasonably  explain  the  marked 
changes  in  the  character  of  leaf,  noticed  after  the  transfer  of 
the  plant  to  new  localities. 

Tobacco  growers  are  well  aware  that  the  nature  of  soils 
to  a  considerable  degree,  influences  the  color  of  tobacco 
leaf  ;  that  the  light  soils  of  the  Connecticut  Valley  produce 
a  lighter  colored  cigar  leaf  than  the  richer  and  darker  soils 
of  Pennsylvania;  that  the  dark  and  heavy  soils  of  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky,  produce  a  heavier  and  darker  leaf  than  the 
lighter  soils  of  North  Carolina,  the  home  of  the  famous 
"  Bright  leaf"  tobacco. 

That  certain  regions  are  peculiarly  adapted  to  cigar  leaf 
production  is  good  evidence  that  the  nature  of  tobacco  is 
considerably  influenced  by  the  kind  of  soil.  Sumatra,  Cuba, 
Florida,  the  Connecticut  Valley  and  Wisconsin  are  centres 
of  "  cigar  leaf  "  production,  but  climatic  conditions  in  the 
various  localities  are  as  different  as  they  are  geographically 
widely  separated.  The  tobaccos  grown  in  these  places  are 
often  widely  different  in  grade.  These  differences  in  grade 
are  not  alone  a  matter  of  climate,  as  for  example,  there  is  a 
vast  difference  between  the  climate  of  Cuba  and  that  of 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  9 

Wisconsin,  yet  both  produce  good  cigar  leaf.  The  time  of 
harvesting  and  manner  of  curing  have  much  to  do  with  fix- 
ing special  types  or  grades  of  tobaccos,  and  even  more  im- 
portant is  the  intelligent  cultivation  of  the  plant,  and  its 
proper  fertilization. 

Bearing  in  mind  that  growing  crops  are  perhaps  as 
much  dependent  on  the  physical  condition  as  upon  chemi 
cal  composition  of  the  soils  in  which  they  grow,  the  texture 
of  the  soil  may  be  accepted  as  possessing  great  influence  on 
the  quality  of  the  tobacco  produced  thereon.  Prof.  Whit- 
ney's investigations  showed  that  soils  producing  tobaccos 
of  similar  type,  closely  resemble  each  other  in  the  propor- 
tions of  the  different  classes  of  soil  particles.  Thus  it  may 
be  well  to  compare  the  proportions  of  sand,  silt  and  clay  in 
the  tobacco  soils  of  the  two  typical  "wrapper"  States,  and 
in  two  typical  "filler"  States.  New  York  and  Massachu- 
setts, and  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  furnish  the  desired  local- 
ities. 

Sand  Silt  Clay 

(Wrapper)  New  York,  68.81^  18.18$  7.43^ 

"  Massachusetts      60. 10  33-6o  3.31 

(Filler)  Pennsylvania,  17.27  49.02  29.27 

"         Ohio,  23.31  44.01  27.52 

The  close  resemblance  between  the  physical  properties 
in  each  of  these  two  groups  is  apparent.  The  great  dissim- 
ilarity between  the  properties  of  the  two  groups  is  equally 
plain.  These  facts  partly  explain  the  similarity  of  grade 
and  character  between  tobaccos  of  New  York  and  the  Con- 


10  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

necticut  Valley,  and  those  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  ;  also 
the  marked  differences  between  tobaccos  of  the  "  wrapper" 
states,  and  those  of  the  "  filler  "  states. 

The  work  of  Prof.  Whitney  demonstrates  another  fact 
of  great  importance  affecting  the  practical  details  of  tobacco 
culture.  He  appears  to  have  conclusively  proved  that 
the  character  of  the  tobacco  produced  by  any  soil,  depends 
to  a  marked  degree  upon  the  average  mean  moisture  of  the 
soil.  When  this  point  has  been  more  carefully  studied,  and 
is  more  fully  understood,  it  is  probable  that  the  usefulness 
of  a  soil  for  growing  any  particular  kind  of  tobacco  can  be 
determined  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  certainty. 

A  good  illustration  of  this  condition  is  supplied  by  the 
results  of  the  moisture  records  of  the  soils  at  Quincy,  and 
Fort  Meade,  Florida,  two  widely  separated  localities,  with 
soils  superficially  quite  different,  yet  producing  nearly  ident- 
ical grades  of  cigar  tobacco.  Investigation  showed  the 
moisture  of  one  of  these  soils  to  be  8.26  per  cent,  and  of  the 
other  to  be  8.6  per  cent.  The  closest  approach  in  character 
of  tobacco  to  that  grown  in  these  localities  by  any  other 
region  of  the  country  is  the  Counecticut  Valley,  where  the 
average  moisture  is  found  to  be  about  7  per  cent.  It  is 
quite  probable  that  the  recognized  value  of  natural  forest 
growths,  as  indicators  of  good -tobacco  soils,  depends  on 
this  relation  between  plant  and  average  water  supply. 

The  "wrapper"  producing  soils  of  Connecticut  Valley, 
Florida  and  New  York  are  fine  in  texture,  light  in  color  and 
low  in  moisture.  They  are  strongly  sandy  in  character,  av- 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  II 

eraging  over  60  per  cent,  of  clear  sand,  but  contain  very 
little  (less  than  3$)  clay.  They  are,  therefore,  early  lands, 
easily  worked,  warm  and  responsive. 

The  "  binder"  and  "filler"  soils  of  Pennsylvania,  Ohio 
and  Wisconsin  are  heavier  in  character  and  finer  in  texture. 
They  contain  about  20  per  cent,  moisture,  an  average  of  say 
25  per  cent,  clay,  and  from  30  to  35  per  cent  silt.  They  are 
consequently  more  fertile,  more  generally  productive,  later, 
slower,  and  harder  to  cultivate,  than  are  the  soils  producing 
the  lightest  cigar  leaf. 

The  "Bright  Leaf"  soils  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia 
are  sandy  to  a  depth  of  from  one  to  ten  feet,  always  un- 
derlaid by  a  heavy  clay  sub-soil.  The  surface  soil  averages 
8  to  9  per  cent,  clay,  about  15  per  cent,  silt,  and  nearly  60 
per  cent.  sand.  These  soils  are  not  fertile  or  productive, 
though  easily  worked,  early  and  quite  liable  to  drouth. 

"  Export"  tobaccos  come  from  heavy,  fertile  soils,  con- 
taining high  percentages  of  silt  and  clay,  with  considerable 
iron,  and  pebbly  material.  These  soils  are  stiff,  but  easy  to 
work  when  properly  broken.  They  hold  moisture,  and  are 
slow  and  late. 

The  White  Burley  soils  contain  a  large  percentage  of 
carbonate  of  lime,  and  they  are  filled  with  small  particles  of 
limestone  rock,  which  contains  a  considerable  amount  of 
phosphate  of  lime.  These  soils  are  not  so  stiff  as  the  soils 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  heavy  shipping  tobacco. 

The  "  Perique  "  soils  of  Louisiana,  differ  greatly  from 
all  other  tobacco  soils,  as  much  so  as  the  product  itself. 


12  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

Their  cultivation  differs  also  from  that  of  other  tobaccos. 
These  soils  are  deep,  alluvial  bottoms,  dark  in  color,  fertile, 
line  in  texture,  and  contain  about  one-fourth  part  of  sand. 
They  are  easily  worked  and  high  in  moisture. 

THE  SEED. 

The  quality  of  seed  from  which  tobacco  is  to  be  grown 
is  of  the  greatest  importance.  This  is  because  the  quantity 
of  the  yield  (with  most  kinds  of  tobaccos,)  is  of  less  impor- 
tance than  the  quality  of  the  crop.  In  other  words,  quality 
of  each  class  of  leaf  usually  regulates  its  value.  Seed  plants 
should  be  grown  from  first  class  seed  only,  and  each  kind 
by  itself.  When  different  kinds  are  grown  close  together, 
they  mix  badly,  though  in  outward  appearance  the  plants 
give  no  indication  of  this  mixing. 

The  practice  of  growing  seed  plants  by  themselves  is 
necessary  because  tobacco  has  a  decided  tendency  to  depart 
from  fixed  types,  and  to  adapt  itself  to  local  conditions, 
through  its  extreme  sensitiveness  to  climate  and  soil  condi- 
tions. The  pollen  of  the  plant  is  carried  long  distances,  and 
the  presence  of  different  types  of  tobacco  nearer  than  a  mile 
from  the  seed  plants  is  likely  to  result  in  mixing,  or  crossing 
of  varieties,  a  condition  which  usually  results  in  deteriora- 
tion. The  seed  plant  should  not  be  allowed  to  develop 
suckers,  and  the  seed  pods  should  be  borne  only  upon  the 
main  stem  of  the  plant.  When  seed  plants  are  grown  by 
themselves,  only  perfectly  developed  plants,  with  all  dis- 
tinctive qualities  of  the  leaf,  should  be  reserved  for  seed 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  I  3 

purposes.  A  few  of  the  upper  leaves  of  the  plant  should  be 
removed  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  injury  from  storms, 
or  wind,  and  also  in  order  that  the  entire  vigor  and  strength 
of  the  plant  may  be  devoted  to  the  perfection  of  its  seed, 
rather  than  for  the  development  of  the  leaf. 

Only  the  earliest  maturing  seed  pods  should  be  allowed 
to  ripen,  and  all  others  should  be  removed  before  maturity. 
What  the  planter  thus  loses  in  quantity,  he  makes  up  in 
quality.  However,  the  number  of  seeds  developed  in  a  sin- 
gle pod  is  enormous,  reaching  as  high  as  5,000,  and  an 
ounce  of  clean  seed  will  easily  contain  from  300,000  to 
400,000  individual  seeds.  After  the  pods  have  turned  brown 
(thus  indicating  ripeness)  they  should  be  cut  with  the  stem 
on  which  they  are  borne,  and  preserved  in  their  natural 
condition,  protected  against  air  and  moisture,  and  kept  at  a 
temperature  varying  as  little  as  possible,  until  needed  for 
sowing. 

The  selection  of  seed  should  be  regulated  by  the  variety 
or  character  of  crop  desired,  bearing  in  mind  that  this  latter 
feature  is  controlled  largely  by  the  soil  and  climatic  condi- 
tions of  the  locality  in  which  the  crop  is  to  be  made.  The 
seed  should  be  bright,  hard,  and  free  from  chaff  and  impuri- 
ties. Cuban  growers  retain  a  large  admixture  of  chaff  with 
the  seed  as  a  protection  against  mould  and  deterioration. 
Seeds  remaining  in  the  pods,  if  well  dried  and  bottled, 
should  not  be  susceptible  to  deterioration  or  mould.  The 
Cuban  practice  is  not  a  desirable  one  to  follow,  and  it  seems 
to  be  the  result  of  careless  practice,  or  crude  and  imperfect 


14  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

methods  of  separation  and  cleaning.  Thus,  a  given  weight 
of  Cuban  seed  only  contains  one-half  the  quantity  of  actual 
tobacco  seed  as  the  same  quantity  of  seed,  when  cleaned 
and  prepared  for  market  by  American  methods  would  yield. 

TESTING  THE  SEED. 

All  seeds,  tobacco  seeds  included,  have  their  periods  of 
longevity,  or  vitality,  beyond  which  the  germinating  power, 
or  life  of  the  seed  begins  to  wane  and  finally  disappears. 
Many  authorities  claim  that  the  vitality  of  tobacco  seed  may 
reach  ten,  or  even  fifteen  years,  but  it  is  a  well  established 
fact,  that  deterioration  begins  after  the  fifth  year,  so  that 
beyond  that  time  its  use  involves  a  risk  and  possible  loss. 

Therefore,  no  seed  of  unknown  age  should  be  used  un- 
til first  given  a  germinating  or  other  test. 

This  is  done  by  dropping  some  of  the  seed  upon  a  hot 
stove  or  shovel  ;  good  seed  will  burst  or  pop.  Any  seed  not 
affected  in  this  way,  maybe  counted  as  bad,  arid  should  not 
be  used  for  sowing.  The  seed  may  also  be  tested  by  actual 
germination,  thus: — sprinkle  the  seed  into  a  small  mass  of 
cotton  wool  in  a  tumbler,  which  should  contain  a  little 
water  in  the  bottom.  If  the  tumbler  be  then  kept  in  a  warm 
place,  at  the  end  of  three  or  four  days,  all  the  good  seed 
should  germinate.  The  proportion  of  unsprouted  seed  will 
then  indicate  the  relative  percentage  of  bad  seed  present  in 
the  lot. 

Another  satisfactory  way  of  testing  seed  is  to  take  a 
small  piece  of  board  covered  with  a  piece  of  cotton  cloth 


tOBACCO   CULTURE.  15 

die  ends  or  edges  of  which  dip  into  water.  Sprinkle  the 
seed  to  be  tested  over  the  surface  of  the  cloth  thus  raised 
above  the  water,  and  keep  in  a  warm  place.  At  the  end  of 
five  days  time,  all  good  seed  will  have  sprouted,  and  by 
counting  the  unsprouted  seed,  the  actual  proportion  of  bad 
seed  can  be  accurately  determined.  It  is  not  necessary  that 
seed  tested  by  either  of  these  methods  be  finally  discarded 
unless  the  proportion  of  bad  seed  is  very  large,  for  by  know- 
ing the  amount  of  bad  seed  present,  enough  seed  may  be 
used  to  secure  a  full  stand  and  crop. 

GERMINATION. 

Under  certain  conditions  it  may  be  desirable  to  gain 
time  by  germinating  or  sprouting  the  seed  before  it  is 
sown.  This  may  be  done  by  taking  a  strip  of  cotton  cloth 
about  six  or  eight  inches  in  width,  sprinkling  the  seed  even- 
ly over  this  surface,  and  then  rolling  the  cloth  into  a  com- 
pact roll.  If  one  end  of  this  strip  be  placed  in  a  basin  or 
tumbler  containing  a  little  water,  the  roll  of  cloth  will  absorb 
moisture  as  a  lamp  wick  absorbs  oil.  If  the  roll  is  kept  con- 
stantly moist,  the  seed  will  germinate,  and  if  carefully  re- 
moved from  the  cloth  as  soon  as  sprouted  and  sown  in  a 
prepared  seed-bed,  a  few  days  time  will  be  gained.  Great 
care  however,  is  necessary  not  to  injure  the  tender,  young 
sprouts,  and  the  danger  of  such  injury  is  so  great  that  this 
method  is  only  to  be  recommended  in  exceptional  cases. 

Another  good  way  is  to  sow  the  seed  in  a  box,  or  pan 
of  earth,  which  is  watered  daily  and  kept  in  a  warm  place, 


l6  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

either  in  the  sun  or  near  a  stove.  When  the  seed  in  the  earth 
has  sprouted,  the  entire  mass  may  be  sown  in  the  same  way 
that  ungerminated  seed  would  be  sown  when  mixed  with 
earth,  meal  or  other  material  recommended  in  the  sowing 
of  seed 

THE  SEED  BED. 

The  use  of  the  seed  bed  is  two-fold :  First,  to  gain  time 
in  starting  the  crop,  and  second,  to  furnish  better  protection 
to  the  young  plants  than  is  possible  with  field  planting.  As 
the  first  need  in  the  selection  of  the  seed  bed  is  warmth,  a 
protected  and  sheltered  spot  with  Southern  exposure  is  best. 
In  the  northern  states,  a  wall,  a  building  or  fence  is  utilized 
for  shelter.  In  the  south,  planters,  take  advantage  of  the  pres- 
ence of  a  strip  of  woods.  Fine,  warm,  mellow,  thoroughly 
pulverized  soil  is  necessary.  In  the  south,  new  ground  is 
preferred  ;  in  the  north,  old  ground.  The  same  place  may 
be  used  year  after  year  for  the  seed  bed.  In  the  southern 
states,  particularly  Florida,  where  Cuban  methods  are 
closely  followed,  the  ground  selected  for  the  seed  bed  is  pre- 
viously burned  over  by  laying  sticks  of  wood  or  small  logs 
lengthwise  on  the  bed,  and  covering  the  same  with  brush 
or  light  dry  wood.  When  the  soil  has  been  thoroughly  heat- 
ed for  about  half  an  hour,  the  fire  is  removed,  and  put  on 
another  part  of  the  bed. 

The  object  of  burning  is  first,  the  destruction  of  weed 
seed,  and  secondly,  to  improve  the  mechanical  condition  of 
the  new  land  to  be  used  for  the  bed.  It  is  a  question  if  either 


l8  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

of  these  two  objects  is  important  enough  to  warrant  the 
considerable  cost  involved,  and  this  plan  is  being  gradually 
abandoned  by  tobacco  growers  in  the  north.  Burning  is 
still  practiced  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  where  nearly 
half  of  the  tobacco  crop  of  the  United  States  is  raised.  The 
growers  there  still  think  burning  the  land  a  necessity.  Burn- 
ing the  soil  is  supposed  to  aid  in  breaking  it  up.  A  small 
quantity  of  wood  charcoal  from  the  incomplete  burning  of 
the  wood  is  added  to  the  soil,  and  also  considerable  quanti- 
ties of  available  potash  are  supplied  by  the  ash  of  the  burnt 
wood.  The  land  is  burned  until  it  has  a  reddish  cast. 

A  great  many  growers  in  selecting  a  place  for  the  seed 
bed,  plan  to  have  it  near  water,  and,  if  possible,  so  located 
that  the  beds  can  be  irrigated.  In  Florida  especially,  a  very 
dry  spell  of  weather  often  occurs  at  the  most  critical  period 
of  the  plants'  growth,  late  in  April,  and  through  May.  Irri- 
gating the  beds  is  the  surest  way  to  success  in  growing 
plants.  This  irrigation  differs  somewhat  from  the  ordinary 
methods,  in  that  the  water  furrow  or  trench  is  made  along 
on  the  outside  of  the  bed.  No  water  is  allowed  on  the  bed, 
and  the  plant  simply  gets  the  water  through  the  natural 
drainage  of  the  soil,  as  care  is  taken  that  this  water  trench 
is  on  a  higher  level  than  the  bed. 

PREPARATION  OF  THE  BED.  The  location  having  been 
decided  on  the  first  step  in  preparing  the  bed  for  the  seed 
depends  somewhat  on  the  size  and  shape  of  the  bed.  Long 
narrow  beds  are  the  best  shape.  The  width  should  not  ex- 
ceed four  feet,  and  the  length  will  depend  on  the  amount  of 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  19 

land  to  be  used.  For  a  large  area,  a  uniform  width  should  be 
used  ;narro\v  beds  with  walks,  being  the  most  economical 
shape,  since  by  this  means,  every  part  of  the  bed  is  accessible 
either  for  working  or  removing  plants.  The  same  plan  may 
be  followed  with  a  square  bed  by  subdividing  it  into  narrow 
four  foot  beds,  as  is  done  in  the  heavy  tobacco  districts, 
where  some  of  the  beds  cover  1,600  square  yards. 

The  ground  should  be  thoroughly  plowed,  dug  with  a 
mattock  or  spaded,  and  then  made  as  mellow  as  possible  by 
the  use  of  the  harrow  rake,  or  hand  cultivator.  The  surface 
should  then  be  smoothed  over  with  a  garden  rake,  and  all 
litter,  unbroken  lumps,  and  other  incumbrances  removed. 
Only  chemical  fertilizers  which  are  quick  acting  and  free 
from  weed  seed  should  be  used.  These  should  be  applied 
broadcast,  and  raked  in.  The  first  application  should  be 
light,  as  it  is  desirable  to  apply  fertilizer  in  the  form  of  sol- 
ution from  time  to  time  during  the  growth,  of  the  plants. 
Thorough  raking  with  an  ordinary  garden  rake  is  the  most 
effective  way  of  properly  fining  the  soil,  and  in  finishing  off 
this  raking  process  the  rake  should  be  carefully  drawn 
across  the  bed  evenly  as  possible,  thus  leaving  very  small 
furrows  from  its  teeth  in  the  fine  soil.  The  seed  is  sown  in 
these  furrows.  Seed  thus  sown  will  come  up  in  perfectly 
uniform  rows,  and  after  the  plants  put  on  their  second  set 
of  leaves,  the  bed  may  be  gently  raked,  so  as  to  break  any 
crust  formed  after  rains,  and  to  loosen  the  soil  about  the 
young  plants. 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  21 

SOWING- 

The  seed  selected  and  previously  tested  should  be  mix- 
ed with  some  foreign  material  before  being  sown.  There 
are  two  reasons  for  this  course.  First,  the  seed  is  so  small 
and  dark  colored,  that  it  is  not  easily  seen  after  it  has 
been  sown.  Therefore,  a  light  colored,  foreign  substance 
should  be  mixed  with  the  seed,  and  then  the  area  covered 
will  be  shown  up,  and  any  unevenness  in  the  work  can  be 
remedied.  The  second  reason  for  mixing  with  foreign  ma- 
terial is  on  account  of  the  extreme  minuteness  of  the  seed. 
A  small  quantity  is  sufficient  for  a  large  area,  and  without 
the  admixture  of  other  material,  an  even  sowing  of  the  seed 
is  extremely  difficult. 

For  mixing  purposes,  corn  meal,  plaster  of  paris  or 
flour  may  be  used.  The  seed  should  be  carefully  sown  by 
hand,  and  by  going  over  the  ground  in  two  directions  at 
right  angles  to  each  other,  even  sowing  of  the  seed  is  assured. 
A  good  method  for  mixing  the  seed  with  the  soil  is  by  tread- 
ing it  in  by  foot,  but  for  large  areas,  the  hand  roller  should 
be  used. 


AMOUNT  OF  SEED. 

The  quantity  of  seed  required  per  acre  of  ground  varies 
very  materially.  The  allowance  of  seed  should  be  one 
ounce  per  acre  of  land,  and  this  quantity  will  cover  a  bed 
about  40  square  yards  of  surface. 


22  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

PROTECTION. 

The  beds  are  generally  protected  from  birds,  insects  and 
cold  by  being  covered  with  a  layer  of  brush.  Muslin  cloth, 
however,  is  now  extensively  used  for  this  purpose,  being 
stretched  over  the  bed  from  side  to  side  and  tacked  to  logs  or 
planks,  thereby  raising  it  high  enough  above  the  bed  to  clear 
the  growing  plants.  The  cloth  cover  must  be  taken  off  occas- 
ionly  for  weeding  or  fertilizing  the  bed  when  the  plants 
are  ready  for  the  field.  Not  only  insects  and  other  enemies 
of  the  plant  are  thus  prevented  from  attacking  the  young 
plants,  but  the  additional  warmth  secured  to  the  bed  by  the 
radiation  of  the  soil  heat  hastens  the  growth,  and  makes 
earlier  transplanting  possible.  It  is  not  necessary  to  remove 
the  muslin  cover  of  the  bed  to  water  it,  as  it  can  be  thor- 
oughly watered  by  using  a  sprinkler.  The  advantage  of 
watering  through  the  muslin  is  that  the  moisture  of  the 
cloth  helps  to  keep  the  bed  moist  longer  than  if  the  cloth 
were  removed,  and  replaced  immediately  after  watering. 

THE  CROP. 

The  location,  the  climate,  and  the  soil  in  which  the 
crop  is  to  grow  will  decide  the  class  of  tobacco  to  be  culti- 
vated. The  type  or  variety,  however,  is  dependent  on  these 
conditions,  and  also  more  or  less  on  individual  notions  or 
desire  of  the  planter,  knowledge  of  the  kind  grown,  facilities 
for  working  the  soil,  etc.  Thus  the  Florida  grower  has  the 
option  of  growing  either  Sumatra,  Cuban,  or  Florida  Spec- 
kled Leaf,  while  in  the  Connecticut  Valley,  it  may  be  either 
Seed  leaf  or  Havana  seed. 


24  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

PREPARATION  FOR  THE  CROP. 

In  New  England  the  common  practice  is  to  select  for 
tobacco,  land  which  is  intended  to  remain  for  years  in  this 
crop.  This  is  only  possible  by  very  heavy  fertilizing.  But 
the  New  England  grower  claims  that  this  gives  him  more 
perfect  control  of  the  crop,  whereby  he  can  feed  it  directly 
for  the  qualities  worth  most  in  the  market.  It  is,  therefore, 
no  difficult  matter  to  find  in  the  Connecticut  Valley  fields, 
that  have  produced  tobacco  annually  for  from  ten  to  twenty 
years,  with  improvement  in  quality  of  product,  and  no  dim- 
inishment  of  yield.  The  Pennsylvaniagrower  has  his  favorite 
tobacco  fields,  but  practices  rotation  of  crops  for  which  his 
heavier  soils  are  adapted.  In  the  South  and  West,  rotation 
of  other  crops  with  tobacco  is  the  rule.  The  Southern  grow- 
er of  heavy  shipping  tobacco,  as  well  as  of  cigar  leaf,  how- 
ever, uses  new  soil  for  tobacco,  and  then  takes  two  or  three 
leaf  crops  from  the  soil  before  changing  the  crop.  The 
grower  of  Burley  tobacco  also  prefers  new  land,  but  after 
two  crops,  he  rotates  with  grain  and  grass.  The  Bright  Leaf 
tobacco  is  generally  produced  on  old  land,  put  out  in 
tobacco  every  third  year. 

The  question  of  when  to  piow  tobacco  land  next  arises; 
fall  or  spring  are  the  two  seasons  for  plowing.  No  rule  can 
be  laid  down,  though  the  methods  of  successful  growers  of 
each  kind  of  tobacco  afford  a  safe  guide.  Generally  speak- 
ing, heavy  clay  soils  require  fall  breaking,  so  as  to  be  further 
broken  up  by  the  frosts  of  winter. 

In  cigar  leaf  regions,   fall   plowing  is  almost  universal, 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  25 

except  in  Florida,  where  early  spring  plowing,  usually  in 
February  is  the  rule,  followed  by  a  later  plowing,  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  putting  out  of  the  plants.  The  coarser 
kinds  of  fertilizer  are  distributed  in  the  furrow  at  the  time 
of  the  first  plowing,  and  covered  by  the  next  trip  of  the 
turn-plow. 

In  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  and  Wisconsin,  the  turning  un- 
der of  "  stubble  "  or  sod  immediately  after  harvest  or  hay- 
ing is  a  favorite  practice.  In  the  south,  manure  is  frequently 
applied  broadcast,  previous  to  this  plowing.  A  second  plow- 
ing is  the  rule  just  before  final  freezing  of  the  ground  occurs 
and  tobacco  stalks,  "chopped,"  are  turned  under  at  this 
time.  The  best  growers  plow  in  the  spring  some  two  weeks 
before  the  planting. 

Growers  of  Bright  Leaf  favor  deep  breaking  in  the  fall, 
usually  with  two-horse  plows.  This  is  followed  in  February 
by  shallow  furrowing  with  the  "scooter,"  at  which  time  the 
manure,  litter  and  any  coarse  fertilizer  to  be  used,  is  covered 
in  the  furrow.  In  the  region  where  heavy  shipping  tobacco 
is  raised,  successful  planters  believe  that  most  of  the  culti- 
vation should  be  done  before  the  plants  are  set  out.  Deep 
fall  breaking  with  heavy  turn-plows,  is  general.  This  break- 
ing should  be  so  early  that  vegetation  turned  under  may  be 
still  green,  for  then  its  decomposition  is  hastened,  and  its 
fermenting  action  in  the  soil  is  increased.  In  early  spring 
the  manure  is  applied  broadcast  and  turned  under  by  a  sec- 
ond but  more  shallow  plowing. 

Burley  Tobacco  is  mostly  grown  on  land  broken  in  the 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  27 

early  spring;  a  sod  usually  being  turned  under,  unless  the 
land  be  new.  in  which  case  two  or  three,  successive  crops  of 
tobacco  may  be  grown.  The  soil  is  fined  chiefly  by  the  use 
of  the  disk  harrow,  in  April  or  early  May. 

The  Perique  grower  plows  twice  ;  first  in  January  when 
the  land  is  broken  about  eight  inches  in  depth,  as  soon  as 
dry  enough  for  the  purpose.  In  February,  beds  four  or  five 
feet  wide  are  thrown  up  and  later  smoothed  by  means  of 
horse  rake  or  harrow.  Just  previous  to  planting  in  March, 
other  beds  are  turned  on  top  of  these  and  smoothed  by  hand 
rake.  On  these  beds  the  plants  are  set  by  hand.  The  meth- 
ods of  fining  the  land  are  about  the  same  in  all  the  tobacco 
growing  districts. 

Tobacco  is  usually  produced  by  growers  who  make  its 
cultivation  a  specialty.  They  are,  like  all  specialists,  intel- 
ligent and  painstaking.  They  use  in  their  work  every  im- 
provement determined  by  field  practice,  and  study  the  sug- 
gestions of  scientific  men.  Thoroughness  of  cultivation  is 
recognized  among  all  intelligent  growers  as  indispensable 
to  success. 

For  Cigar  tobacco,  everywhere  except  in  Florida,  the 
last  plowing  is  usually  followed  by  the  disk  harrow,  and  the 
fertilizers  spread  broadcast  are  then  harrowed  in,  and  the 
surface  brought  to  the  desired  fineness  by  the  smoothing 
harrow.  If  hand  planting  is  practiced,  a  ridger  is  used  foi 
throwing  up  slight  beds  and  marking  off  the  spaces  for  the 
plants.  Where  a  transplanter  is  used,  which  is  now  almost 
universal  except  among  the  growers  of  real  Cuban  and  Sum- 


28  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

atra  leaf,  the  smoothing  harrow  fits  the  soil  for  the  plants. 

In  Florida  the  closeness  with  which  the  Cuban  and  Su- 
matra plants  are  set  in  the  rows,  (for  increased  thinness  of 
leaf)  prevents  the  use  of  the  transplanter,  which  has  here- 
tofore not  been  gauged  more  closely  than  18  inches.  When 
plants  are  set  as  closely  as  8  inches  in  the  row,  (which  is  not 
uncommon  among  Cuban  growers),  extremely  rapid  planting 
can  hardly  be  done  with  a  machine  worked  at  the  speed  of 
walking  horses. 

The  Cuban  grower  in  Florida  plows  and  cross-plows, 
the  latter  working  of  the  soil  preceding  the  transplanting  by 
some  three  weeks.  Just  before  setting  the  plants,  the  har- 
row is  used  until  the  ground  is  thoroughly  pulverized.  The 
"scooter"  is  then  used  for  running  furrows  two  and  one-half 
feet  apart,  into  which  the  fertilizer  is  scattered  and  then  cov- 
ered by  the  turn-plow,  running  back  and  forth.  The  plants 
are  then  set  on  the  ridge  thus  made. 

The  grower  of  Cuba  leaf  in  this  country  has  modified 
this  practice  by  placing  his  rows  from  three  to  three  and 
one-half  feet  apart  for  Cuban,  and  four  feet  apart  for  Suma- 
tra leaf;  and  this  makes  horse  cultivation  possible.  How- 
ever, he  grows  as  many  plants  to  the  acre  as  does  the  Cuban 
planter,  by  placing  them  nearer  together  in  the  row.  The 
most  successful  way  of  transplanting  tobacco  in  Florida 
is,  by  running  furrows  with  a  small  Scotch  plow  about  5  J 
feet  apart,  and  setting  the  plant  in  the  bottom  of  the  fur- 
row. This  insures  a  perfect  stand,  and  the  plants  being 
down  below  the  surface  are  not  apt  to  be  destroyed  by  cut- 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  31 

worms.  Later  cultivation  will  fill  up  the  furrow,  and  the 
plant  has  thus  a  better  hold  on  the  ground,  and  will  get 
more  moisture  than  if  set  in  the  usual  way.  The  most  suc- 
cessful hand  tool  for  making  holes  for  the  plant  is  a  narrow 
piece  of  board  about  three  inches  wide  and  sharpened.  It 
makes  a  cut  in  the  soil,  not  a  hole.  Then  when  the  plant  is 
inserted  into  this  cut,  its  roots  can  be  spread  out  and  firmed 
better  than  in  a  round  hole. 

The  Bright  Leaf  grower  follows  the  Cuban  method  of  fit- 
ting his  land  for  the  crop  after  the  second  plowing,  except 
that  he  drags  his  beds  flat  with  a  log  drag,  and  places  his 
plants  thirty  inches  apart  on  these  beds.  In  the  Burley  re- 
gion, a  flexible  slab  drag  takes  the  place  of  the  log,  and  a 
marker  is  used  for  indicating  the  distance  of  the  rows,  and 
the  plants  are  placed  level  without  either  ridges  or  hilis. 

Shipping  Tobacco  is  grown  in  checks  and  cultivated 
both  ways.  After  the  second  plowing,  thorough  harrowing 
follows,  and  then  the  marker  is  run  both  ways,  three  and 
one  half  feet  squares  being  the  result.  At  the  points  of 
crossing,  hills  are  raised  by  the  hoe,  a  handful  of  commer- 
cial fertilizer  being  usually  dropped  at  each  of  these  points? 
over  which  is  made  the  hill  on  which  the  plant  is  to  stand. 

Following  the  preparation  of  the  land,  and  its  being 
placed  in  condition  for  growing  the  crop,  the  application  of 
fertilizer  or  plant  food  for  growing  the  crop  is  the  first  con- 
sideration. The  application  of  fertilizer  being  a  separate 
and  distinct  operation,  will  be  discussed  in  a  chapter  by 
itself. 


32  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

FERTILIZING. 

In  taking  up  this  important  branch  of  the  subject,  it  will 
be  well  to  give  a  brief  review  of  the  object  and  value  of  fer- 
tilizing, together  with  some  of  the  more  important  facts 
which  seem  to  influence  the  field  practice  of  successful 
growers. 

Tobacco  is  a  rank,  rapid  growing,  and  heavy-feeding 
plant,  and  requires  liberal  supplies  of  plant-food.  The  care- 
ful experiments  of  Dr.  Goessman,  of  the  Massachusetts  Ex- 
periment Station,  and  of  Prof.  Stockbridge,  of  the  Florida 
Experiment  Station,  furnish  information  of  great  practical 
value  to  the  planter. 

As  a  result  of  these  investigations,  the  quantities  of 
Phosphoric  Acid,  Nitrogen  and  Potash  per  acre  suggested 
by  these  two  authorities  are  as  follows: 

Phosphoric  Acid     Nitrogen      Potash. 

Dr.    Goesmann  60  Ibs.  100  Ibs.       300  Ibs. 

Prof.  Stockbridge  75  Ibs.  180  Ibs.       300  Ibs. 


Average  per  acre  67  Ibs.  140  Ibs.       300  Ibs. 

The  plant  food  found  by  chemical  analysis  in  the  to- 
bacco  plant  furnishes  a  fair  guide  in  determining  the  kind 
and  amount  of  fertilizer  to  use..  Of  course,  not  only  the 
leaf  but  the  whole  plant  must  be  accounted  for  in  figuring 
out  the  actual  plant  food  taken  up.  While  the  leaf  is  the 
object  of  tobacco  growing,  the  leaf  cannot  be  grown  without 
the  stalk,  roots,  etc.  The  analyses  of  the  whole  plant  made 
t>y  Prof.  Stockbridge  indicate  the  following  plant  food  re- 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  33 

quirements.      He  found  the  average   Florida    tobacco   plant 
to  contain: 

Phosphoric  Acid  Nitrogen  Potash 

0.99  per  cent.  2.58  per  cent.  4.34  per  cent. 

This  indicates  that  the  crop  requires  its  plant  food  in 
the  proportion  of  260  pounds  of  nitrogen,  and  440  pounds  of 
potash  for  every  100  pounds  of  phosphoric  acid  actually 
taken  up  by  the  plant.  As  phosphoric  acid  is  apt  to  change 
into  insoluble  forms  in  the  soil,  allowance  must  be  made  for 
such  losses  in  making  up  special  fertilizers.  Again,  many 
soils  accumulate  supplies  of  nitrogen  through  the  growth  of 
legumes  in  rotation,  and  a  too  free  supply  of  nitrogen  in  the 
fertilizer  may  prove  very  undesirable  by  inducing  a  too 
rank  growth  of  leaf.  For  these  reasons,  many  experienced 
tobacco  growers  use  a  higher  proportion  of  phosphoric  acid, 
and  a  lower  proportion  of  nitrogen  than  the  chemical  com- 
position of  the  crop  would  seem  to  require. 

Prof  Stockbridge's  recommendation  for  fertilizer  appli- 
cation is  based  on  these  condiiions,  and  his  formula  supplies 
the  necessary  plant  foods,  (as  shown  by  the  analyses)  which 
will  be  removed  from  an  acre  of  land  by  a  fair  crop  of 
tobacco. 

Dr.  Jenkins,  of  Connecticut,  as  the  result  of  his  analy- 
ses, estimates  the  quantities  of  the  three  essentials  removed 
from  the  soil  by  an  average  Connecticut  crop  per  acre  as 
follows;  Phosphoric  Acid,  i<>  Ibs..  Nitrogen,  100.  Ibs.,  and 
Potash  150  Ibs. 


34  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

Notwithstanding  the  material  differences  in  the  com 
position  of  tobacco  grown  in  different  places,  particularly 
as  to  the  total  quantities  of  the  different  plant-food  constitu- 
ents removed  from  an  acre  of  land;  all  practical  planters 
now  agree  that  the  crop  requires  large  amounts  of  potash 
as  compared  with  phosphoric  acid. 

The  conclusions  of  accepted  authorities  may  be  thus 
stated: — The  demands  of  the  crop  for  phosphoric  acid  are  small, 
for  nitrogen  they  are  large,  but  the  greatest  demand  is  for  potash 
— in  fact,  greater  than  that  of  any  other  cultivated  plant. 

The  general  rule  of  practice  for  cigar  cobacco  planters 
to  follow  may  be  stated  thus:  Nitrogen,  4  to  6  parts,  pot- 
ash, 8  to  15  parts,  and  phosphoric  acid,  i  to  3  parts. 

This  may  be  more  concisely  expressed  as  follows: — 

Ammonia  4  to  5  per  cent. 

Potash  8  to  9  per  cent. 

Available  Phosphoric  Acid         2  to  4  per  cent. 

Commercial  fertilizers  are  valuable  as  plant  food  only 
to  the  extent  that  they  contain  nitrogen,  potash  and  availa- 
ble phosphoric  acid,  provided  always  that  proper  proportions 
of  these  ingredients  are  used.  An  excessive  amount  of  any 
one  of  these  three  plant  foods  in  a  fertilizer  will  not  make 
up  for  the  loss  caused  by  the  lack  of  either  of  the  other. 
The  old  saying  that  "a  chain  is  no  stronger  than  its  weakest 
link"  applies  here,  for,  the  value  of  any  fertilizer  will  de- 
pend on  the  proportions  of  all  three — nitrogen,  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash  which  it  contains, 


36  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

The  sources  from  which  the  different  forms  of  plant 
bod  are  obtained  is  of  importance  as  affecting  results. 
/uriate  of  Potash  and  Kainit,  on  account  of  the  chlorine 
they  contain,  will  affect  trie  quality  of  tobacco  leaf  unfavor- 
ably. High  grade  Sulphate  of  Potash  should  therefore  be 
used  as  a  source  of  potash,  as  it  is  practically  free  from 
Chlorine.  Sulphuric  Acid,  a  necessary  ingredient  of  Sul- 
phate of  Ammonia  and  Superphosphate,  is  believed  to  pos- 
sess an  injurious  effect  similar  to  that  of  chlorine  when  used 
in  excess.  This  is  an  additional  reason  for  discouraging  the 
excessive  use  of  Acid  Phosphate,  beyond  the  fact  that  too 
much  phosphoric  acid  will  not  do  any  good,  or  in  other 
words,  it  is  just  so  much  money  and  labor  wasted.  These 
disadvantages  can  be  greatly  reduced  by  fall  application, 
and  neither  phosphoric  acid  nor  potash  is  as  susceptible  to 
very  great  loss  by  leaching,  as  is  the  case  with  nitrogenous 
fertilizers. 

The  science  of  tobacco  fertilizing  is  much  further  ad- 
vanced in  the  Connecticut  Valley  than  in  any  other  tobacco 
district,  and  there  the  use  of  fertilizer  is  most  general,  and 
the  yields  are  for  that  reason  heaviest.  The  average  for 
Connecticut  per  acre  is  1402  Ibs.  of  leaf  as  against  373  Ibs. 
in  North  Carolina.  (Cigar  tobacco  is  heavier  than  yellow 
tobacco.)  White  Burley  and  Perique  tobaccos  are  the  only 
classes  of  leaf  largely  grown  without  manure  or  fertilizers. 
Rotation,  however,  is  there  strictly  followed.  Tobacco  is  fol- 
lowed by  wheat,  which  is  seeded  to  Timothy,  or  bluegrass 
with  clover,  and  the  clover  is  allowed  to  remain  two  or  three 


TOBACCO   CULTURE.  37 

years,  before  the  sod  is  turned  up  for  a  second  crop  of  to- 
bacco. Commercial  fertilizers  are  as  yet  practically  un- 
known on  this  crop  (the  soil  being  very  rich),  while  barn, 
yard  manure  is  used  only  in  exceptional  cases.  In  time 
though,  fertilizers  will  have  to  be  used  to  return  the  plant 
food  removed  from  the  soil  by  even  this  method  of  culture 
of  White  Burley  and  Perique  tobaccos. 

In  growing  Bright  Leaf  Tobacco,  fertilizing  with  both 
barn-yard  manure  and  commercial  fertilizers  is  practised. 
The  manure  is  generally  plowed  under  at  the  second  plow- 
ing. It  usually  contains  large  quantities  of  litter  and  pine 
straw,  which  is  believed  to  aid  in  yellowing  the  leaf.  The 
rcws  are  later  on  laid  off  by  a  "scooter"  and  600  to  1000 
Ibs.  per  acre  of  some  standard  commercial  fertilizer,  which 
should  contain  about  2  per  cent  Ammonia,  6  per  cent  Potash 
and  4  per  cent  Phosphoric  Acid  are  sowed  in  the  hill,  and 
covered  by  the  turn-plow.  The  plants  are  then  set  on  the 
ridge  thus  formed. 

"Shipping  Tobacco"  is  a  product  of  heavy,  manuring, 
heavy  soils  and  slow  ripening.  All  kinds  of  manures,  and 
large  quantities  thereof,  are  used  by  its  growers.  These  are 
applied  to  the  land,  and  turned  under  in  Autumn,  as  a  pre- 
caution against  "firing"  or  blasting."  Hog  manure  was 
once  a  favorite  for  manuring  tobacco,  but  the  leaf  grown  on 
such  manure  is  not  of  good  quality,  and  is  not  as  highly 
prized  as  formerly.  Commercial  fertilizers  are  more  and 
more  being  used,  especially  on  old  lands,  in  conjunction 


3  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

wilh.  stable  manure,  as  the  country  develops  and  the  lands 
become  impoverished. 

Cigar  Tobacco  is  chiefly  produced  by  the  use  of  com- 
mercial fertilizers  made  specially  for  tobacco,  chemical 
manures  or  vegetable  by-products.  Barn-yard  manure, 
strengthened  by  chemicals  is  used  somewhat  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, Ohio  and  Wisconsin.  In  the  Connecticut  Valley,  ap- 
plications of  3000  Ibs.  of  concentrated  chemical  fertilizers 
per  acre  is  the  rule  rather  than  an  exception.  Experience 
shows  that  better  results  follow  where  the  nitrogen  is  sup- 
plied in  various  forms  and  at  several  applications;  hence  it 
is  common  to  apply  nitrate  of  soda,  or  dried  blood,  with  cot- 
ton seed  meal,  or  castor  pomace,  as  a  second  application  for 
"working  in"  after  the  plants  are  well  started. 

The  full  quantity  of  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  should 
be  applied  at  one  time,  and  "broadcasted"  before  planting. 
The  use  of  high  grade  fertilizers  made  expressly  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  cigar-leaf  is  extremely  common,  and  these 
are  generally  based  on  the  actual  needs  of  the  crop  as  shown 
by  chemical  analysis. 

The  formulas  of  fertilizers  and  applications  used  are 
numerous.  The  general  aim  and  practice  is,  to  provide  the 
three  essentials  in  the  proportions  of  about  60  Ibs  of  Phos- 
phoric Acid,  75  Ibs.  Nitrogen,  and  120  Ibs.  of  Potash  per 
acre.  This  would  correspond  to  an  application  of  1500  Ibs. 
per  acre  of  a  fertilizer  containing  4  per  cent  available  phos- 
phoric acid,  5  per  cent  nitrogen,  and  8  per  cent  actual  pot- 
ash. If  doubled,  this  would  make  about  the  maximum  ap- 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  39 

plication  used  by  the  best  Connecticut  Valley,growers,  who 
depend  on  fertilizers  solely  for  producing  tobacco  year  after 
year  on  the  same  soil. 

The  Cuban  grower  of  Florida  still  adheres  to  his  so- 
called  Peruvian,  or  Damaraland  guano.  The  usual  applica- 
tion is  from  600  to  1000  Ibs.  per  acre.  The  more  progressive 
growers,  however,  obtain  best  results  from  mixed  fertilizers 
containing  4  to  5  per  cent  Ammonia,  4  to  5  per  cent  availa- 
ble phosphoric  acid  and  9  to  10  per  cent  potash. 

MOST  EFFECTIVE  APPLICATIONS. 

The  following  suggestions  as  to  the  most  economical 
and  productive  use  of  fertilizers  are  based  upon  actual  prac- 
tical experience. 

Of  the  three  principal  food  constituents,  phosphoric  acid 
is  in  least  demand.  It  should  not  be  supplied  greatly  in  ex- 
cess of  the  actual  needs  of  the  plant.  The  best  form  is  the 
high  grade  acid  phosphate,  and  20  to  60  pounds  of  available 
phosphoric  acid  per  acre  should  be  the  limit  used. 

Nitrogen  is  required  by  tobacco  in  proportions  of  from 
two  to  three  times  the  amount  of  phosphoric  acid.  Nitrate 
of  Soda  and  Cotton  Seed  meal  are  both  popular  forms  of 
nitrogen;  of  the  two,  nitrate  is  much  quicker  in  its  action. 

Potash  is  the  most  important  plant  food  for  tobacco. 
This  crop  is  distinctively  a  potash  feeder.  The  quantity  re- 
quired is  from  four  to  six  times  that  of  phosphoric  acid. 
The  best  form  of  potash  is  the  high  grade  sulphate  of  pot- 
ash, containing  an  average  of  jo  per  cent  of  actual  potash, 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  4! 

As  above  mentioned,  Muriate  of  potash  or  K.-iinit  should  not 
be  used  on  account  of  the  chlorine  which  they  contain. 

TRANSPLANTING. 

The  soil  having  been  prepared  for  the  growth  of  tobacco 
by  the  incorporation  of  the  fertilizing  material,  the  first 
step  towards  the  field  growth  of  the  crop  is,  the  transfer  of 
the  young  plants  from  the  seed-bed  to  the  open  field. 
Strong,  vigorous  plants  only  should  be  selected  for  trans- 
planting. For  a  day  or  two  previous  to  removal,  the  seed- 
bed should  not  be  watered,  in  order  that  the  young  plants 
may  be  somewhat  hardened  for  their  transfer  to  the  open 
ground.  However,  just  before  removal,  the  portion  of  the 
bed  from  which  the  plants  are  to  be  taken  should  be  thor- 
oughly watered.  This  is  done  to  moisten  the  soil  so  that  it 
will  adhere  to  the  roots  of  the  plants  removed,  forming  a 
ball  of  earth  which  will  greatly  aid  a  rapid  recovery  from 
the  shock  of  transplanting.  It  is  best  to  remove  the  plants 
early  in  the  morning,  while  they  are  still  moist  with  dew. 
The  removed  plants  should  be  packed  closely  in  boxes  or 
baskets  in  which  condition,  if  kept  covered  in  the  shade,  or 
in  a  cool  place,  they  may  remain  for  sever.il  days  without 
injury  before  being  set  out.  Meantime,  the  plants  should 
under  no  circumstances  be  watered  or  laid  in  a  horizontal 
position,  as  such  practice  leads  to  injury  through  heating, 
or  rotting,  or  "crooking"  of  the  stems  of  the  plant. 

The  method  of  transplanting  is  controlled  almost  en- 
tirelv  by  the  character  of  tobacco.  With  all  varieties  except 


42  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

Sumatra  and  Cuban  tobacco,  when  grown  expressly  for 
wrapper  purposes,  requiring  very  thick  planting,  transplant- 
ing machines  should  be  used.  Fully  five-sixths  of  the  crop 
is  set  out  by  hand  with  a  peg.  Where  the  plants  are  to 
stand  nearer  than  16  inches  in  the  row,  the  machine  cannot 
be  used  and  hand  planting  is  unavoidable.  The  best  kind 
of  machine  for  this  purpose,  (drawn  by, two  horses  and 
driven  by  a  man)  waters  the  ground  previous  to  the  drop- 
ping of  the  plants,  two  rows  at  a  time  being  planted;  two 
boys  riding  upon  the  machine  and  dropping  the  plants  as 
fast  as  required.  For  hand  planting,  cloudy  weather,  or 
time  just  preceding  or  following  showers,  should,  if  possi- 
ble, be  selected. 

Hand-transplanting  is  done  by  the  same  method  used 
for  other  plants,  that  is,  either  a  peg  bluntly  sharpened,  or 
the  fingers  are  used  for  making  the  hole  into  which  the 
plant  is  placed,  and  the  soil  is  then  pressed  around  the  root- 
lets by  a  single  effort  of  the  peg  or  fingers.  The  selection 
of  a  particular  time  is  hardly  practicable  where  large 
acreages  are  to  be  planted,  though  planting  late  in  the  day 
is  preferable.  However,  watering  just  after  setting  is  usu- 
ally necessary,  and  if  the  planting  is  followed  by  hot 
weather,  the  tender  plants  should  be  shaded. 

A  very  little  water  used  upon  the  soil  before  setting  out 
the  plant  is  much  more  effective  than  large  quantities  ap- 
plied after  the  transplanting.  An  economical  and  effective 
method  is  the  running  of  a  furrow  along  the  row  into  which 
the  water  is  easily  turned,  and  in  the  bottom  of  this  wet  fur- 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  43  . 

row  the  plants  may  be,  set  with  almost  certain  satisfactory 
results.  Large  crops  in  the  south  are  often  transplanted  by 
making  a  hole  with  a  peg  about  three  inches  deep.  Into 
this  a  half  pint  of  water  is  poured  and  then  the  plant  set 
with  the  dry  soil  pressed  about  the  stalk. 

The  roots  of  the  young  plant  should  not  be  crowded  or 
cramped  by  the  process  of  transplanting,  but  should  be 
spread  as  naturally  as  possible.  The  depth  to  which  the 
plants  should  be  set  is  controlled  by  the  variety.  Cuban 
tobacco  requires  far  deeper  setting  than  other  kinds.  In 
any  case,  care  must  be  taken  that  the  bud,  or  "chit"  be  left 
uncovered  by  the  soil. 

CULTIVATION. 

Tobacco  especially  requires  clean  cultivation  and  un- 
remitting care.  Level  culture  is  preferred  with  all  varieties 
of  tobacco,  although  in  certain  sections  of  the  southern 
states  a  great  deal  of  tobacco  is  still  grown  by  the  ridge  or 
hili  methods.  Because  of  the  enormous  surface  of  leaf  ex- 
posure in  the  tobacco  plant,  its  water  requirements  are  very 
great.  It  is  easily  damaged  by  drought.  This  can  be 
guarded  against  by  repeated  shallow  cultivation  during  dry 
weather  By  this  means,  a  thin  covering  of  fine  earth  stops 
evaporation  of  soil  water.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  mulch.  This  is 
particularly  important,  because  the  quality  of  the  leaf  so 
largely  controls  its  value.  The  hill  method  is  adapted  to 
heavy  tobacco  as  the  tips  of  the  leaves  are  somewhat  pro 
tected  from  the  injury  which  they  otherwise  suffer  by  com 


44  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

ing  in  contact  with  the  ground  ;  for  the  leaves  of  this  tobacco 
in  growing  bend  downward  until  they  touch  the  ground. 

To  secure  the  finest  leaf  there  should  be  a  steady  con- 
tinuous growth,  without  check  or  set-back  by  spells  of  dry 
weather.  It  has  been  found  that  the  use  of  Sulphate  of 
Potash  and  Nitrate  of  Soda  as  fertilizer  ingredients  tend  to 
conserve  the  moisture  in  the  soil. 

Worming.  The  matter  of  protection  against  worms  and 
other  injurious  insects  will  be  discussed  further  on.  Of 
course,  the  prime  object  is  to  secure  a  perfect  leaf.  This  is 
particularly  the  case  of  all  wrapper  varieties,  the  market 
value  of  which  is  almost  ruined  by  worm-holes.  Worming 
by  careful  hand-picking  is  a  necessary  work,  while  poisoning 
of  the  plants  by  the  use  of  arsenates,  (Paris  green,  etc.,)  is  a 
practice  not  to  be  recommended. 

TOPPING  AND  SUCKERING. 

The  tobacco  plant  is  forced,  in  effect,  the  same  as  hot 
house  plants.  The  crop  cannot  be  allowed  to  make  its  na- 
tural growth,  bloom  and  produce  seed,  without  seriously  in- 
terfering with  the  character  of  the  leaf  required.  "Top- 
ping" which  results  in  increased  leaf  production,  or  enlarge- 
ment, is  therefore  indispensable.  Each  individual  plant 
must  be  topped  separately  by  breaking  off  the  flower  stem 
by  hand. 

There  is  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  much  judgment 
in  this  process,  and  strong  and  thrifty  plants  require  less 
severe  topping  than  weaker  ones.  The  variety  of  tobacco, 


46  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

or  object  for  which  it  is  grown  will  determine  the  actual 
amount  of  topping  to  be  performed.  From  ten  to  eighteen 
leaves  should  be  left  to  mature,  according  to  the  character 
of  the  plant,  and  the  kind  of  tobacco  raised.  Checking  the 
natural  growth  of  the  plant,  by  removing  the  flower  stalk, 
results  in  the  pushing  out  of  large  numbers  of  suckers. 
These  must  be  carefully  removed  before  they  attain  suf- 
ficient size  to  sap  the  vitality  of  the  plant,  or  divert  growth 
from  the  leaves.  "Suckering"  is  very  necessary  just  before 
harvesting  for,  if  not  removed  at  this  time,  suckers  will  con- 
tinue to  grow  during  the  curing  of  the  plant,  and  seriously 
lessen  the  quality  of  the  crop.  Cigar  Tobacco  is  usually 
suckered  twice;  heavy  shipping  tobacco  from  four  to  five 
times.  The  latter  is  not  harvested  as  early  after  topping,  as 
the  former. 

HARVESTING. 

Tobacco,  like  all  other  crops,  has  a  well-defined  con- 
dition of  ripeness,  at  which  time  it  should  be  harvested.  If 
delayed  too  long,  deterioration  results.  A  tobacco  planter 
without  experience  usually  has  much  difficulty  in  determin- 
ing the  proper  stage  of  ripeness.  To  an  expert,  the  proper 
condition  is  readily  detected  by  a  characteristic  change  in 
color  of  the  leaf:  the  dark  green  appearance  is  succeeded 
by  a  lighter  shade,  which  first  appears  in  mottles,  or  spots, 
gradually  spreading  until  the  entire  leaf  is  involved.  A 
test  is  often  made  by  pressing  a  folded  leaf  between  thumb 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  47 

and  finger,  and,  if  it  cracks  at  the  fold,  it  is  a  sure  indication 
of  ripeness  and  readiness  for  harvest. 

Cuban  tobacco  should  be  harvested  in  a  somewhat 
greener  condition  than  other  varieties.  The  method  of 
harvesting  depends  greatly  on  the  kind  of  tobacco.  Suma- 
tra tobacco  is  more  commonly  "primed,"  that  is,  each  indi- 
vidual leaf  is  examined  and  picked  as  it  reaches  the  highest 
grade  possible.  They  are  strung  upon  strings  for  curing, 
and  this  is  done  to  a  large  part  of  the  yellow  tobacco. 
Other  tobaccos  are  harvested  by  cutting  the  entire  plant 
close  to  the  ground. 

The  plants  are  then  hung  up,  by  one  of  several  meth- 
ods, in  the  curing  barn  for  drying  or  barn  curing.  The 
Cuban  grower  cuts  the  entire  plant  into  sections,  each  hav- 
ing two  leaves.  These  sections  of  plants  are  hung,  or 
"straddled"  upon  single  poles  which  are  carried  upon  the 
shoulders  of  two  men  to  the  curing  barn.  By  this  method 
the  top  leaves  of  the  plant  must  be  less  mature  than  older 
ones.  With  cigar  tobaccos  the  method  of  priming,  or  pick- 
ing a  few  lower  leaves  before  the  entire  plant  is  to  be  har- 
vested, is  recommended  although  not  in  general  use. 

After  the  plant  is  cut,  it  should  be  allowed  to  wilt  thor- 
oughly before  further  handling.  By  this  means,  serious  in- 
jury from  the  breaking  off  of  brittle  leaves  is  avoided. 
Care  must  be  taken,  however,  lest  the  leaves  become 
scorched,  or  sun-burnt;  brief  exposure  to  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun  will  do  serious  injury. 

Most  American  tobacco  is  suspended  in  some  manner 


48  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

upon  slats,  laths,  or  sticks,  before  being  removed  to  the  cur- 
ing barn.  The  method  most  commonly  used  in  the  seed- 
leaf  districts  is  that  of  stringing  the  plants  upon  a  lath,  one 
end  of  which  is  held  in  a  portable  "  horse,  "  while  the  other 
is  fitted  with  a  needle,  or  spear  the  butt  of  which  is  provided 
with  a  socket  into  which  the  end  of  the  lath  is  inserted.  In 
the  White  Burley  and  Heavy  Tobacco  districts,  the  plants 
are  split  half-way  down,  and  straddled  on  sticks. 

Bright  Leaf  Tobacco  is  cured  by  artificial  heat,  and  is 
more  commonly  straddled  on  a  stick,  though  frequently  the 
leaves  are  pulled  from  the  stalk  and  tied  by  twine  to  the 
sticks. 

White  Burley  Tobacco  is  generally  allowed  to  remain 
suspended  from  a  scaffold  in  the  field  two  or  three  days  be- 
fore removal  to  the  barn.  The  most  satisfactory  way  for 
hauling  the  crop  from  the  field  to  the  barn  consists  of  a 
frame  placed  upon  the  bed  of  a  two-horse  wagon,  so  high 
that  the  suspended  plants  do  not  touch  the  bottom  of  the 
wagon,  and  so  wide  that  the  ends  of  the  lath  rest  upon  the 
side  pieces  of  the  frame.  By  this  means  space  is  saved,  and 
the  tobacco  has  very  much  the  same  position  as  when  it 
hangs  in  the  barn,  and  little  injury  is  done  by  the  hauling. 

HOW  TO  BUILD  FRAME  AND  LOG  CURING  BARNS, 

After  the  curing  of  Bright  tobacco,  the  most  important 
.iiing  is  that  the  curing  barn  should  be  well  built.  The 
planter  may  raise  fine  tobacco  crops,  but  without  good 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  49 

barns,  he  runs  a  great  risk  in  curing  them.  The  frame  barn 
is  more  expensive  to  build  than  the  log,  but  it  gives  better 
satisfaction. 

A  good  size  for  the  building  is  16x16,  or  16x20  feet  in- 
side measure.  18  feet  from  the  ground  to  the  plate,  with 
brick  foundation  2-J-  to  3  feet  high.  The  bricks  can  be 
turned  the  nine  inch  way,  which  greatly  economizes  ma- 
terial and  answers  every  purpose.  The  pillars  at  each  cor- 
ner must  be  built  strong.  The  building  is  an  ordinary 
frame  structure,  weatherboarded,  with  studding  17  inches 
apart  from  center  to  center;  manila  paper  being  on  stud- 
ding on  the  inside,  and  ceiling  half  an  inch  thick  and  8  inches 
wide,  is  nailed  on  the  top  of  this.  The  roof  is  sheathed 
and  shingled  in  the  ordinary  way,  with  an  opening  6  inches 
wide  left  under  the  comb  the  entire  length.  A  board  fast- 
ened with  hinges  is  arranged  to  open  and  shut  over  this 
place  at  will.  Ventilation  is  given  from  the  bottom.  The 
tier  poles  are  made  of  3x4  scantlings,  fastened  securely  to 
the  side  of  the  building,  the  first  set  being  7  feet  from  the 
floor,  and  forty- five  inches  apart  from  center  to  center.  The 
next  set  must  be  directly  above  and  18  or  20  inches  higher, 
and  so  on  till  the  body  and  roof  of  the  barn  are  filled  in  like 
manner.  The  space  between  weather-boarding  and  ceiling 
can  be  filled  in  with  sawdust,  in  addition  to  the  paper. 

A  curing  barn,  if  built  of  good  material,  will  last  for 
years.  It  is  an  absolute  fact  that  tobacco  cured  in  the  frame 
building  has  a  sweeter  flavor  than  that  cured  in  the  old- 
fashioned  log  barn  The  difference  is  accounted  for  in  this 


NOT    FERTILIZED. 


FERTILIZED    WITH    3%    NITROGEN,    8$    PHOS.    ACID,     IO#   POTASH. 

Plot,                                            Treatment.                                                     J  'ields  (leaf, .  Value. 

No.  i.     No  Fertilizer 1152  Ibs.  (a  12  cts $138.24. 

No.  2.     Potash,  Phosphoric  Acid  and  Nitrogen.. 1458  Ibs.  @  16  cts 233.28. 

[   No.  3.     Phosphoric  Acid,  Nitrogen  (No  Potash) 1320  Ibs.  @  15  cts 198.00. 

Value  of  increase  due  to  POTASH  $35.28. 


TOBACCO    CULTURE  51 

way:  In  the  process  of  curing,  the  leaf  attracts  the  moist- 
ure from  the  mud  and  logs  while  it  is  in  the  drying  state. 
This  fact  is  especially  noticeable,  and  the  flavor  more  im- 
paired, during  damp  weather.  The  ordinary  brick  furnace 
and  ii  inch  flue  furnish  the  heat  in  both  barns. 

Farmers  who  cannot  afford  to  build  frame  barns  at  the 
start  will  find  the  following  directions  for  the  erection  of 
log  barns  useful:  The  best  size  is  16x16  feet  inside,  and  16 
feet  from  the  ground  to  the  plate.  Cut  poles  about  the  size 
of  those  used  in  an  ordinary  log  building,  and  18  feet  in 
length.  Remove  the  bark  from  them.  Place  blocks  at 
each  corner  12  inches  high.  Put  the  poles  in  position,  and 
notch  them  into  each  corner,  till  the  building  measures  15 
feet  high  from  the  ground  to  the  plate.  In  carpenter's  par- 
lance, put  on  a  "square  roof"  covering  it  with  shingles  or 
boards,  leaving  an  opening  6  inches  wide  under  the  comb 
the  entire  length  of  the  building.  Fit  a  12  inch  board  over 
this  space,  and  fasten  it  to  the  comb  with  hinges,  so  that  it 
can  be  opened  and  shut  as  desired.  The  poles  commence  7 
feet  from  center  to  center,  the  next  set  comes  in  directly 
above,  18  to  22  inches  higher,  and  so  on  t.ll  body  and  roof 
of  the  building  are  filled  in.  Fill  in  the  open  space  under 
the  sills  with  logs.  Make  the  building  tight  by  daubing  in- 
side and  out  with  clay  or  lime  mortar.  The  heat  of  curing 
is  furnished  by  a  brick  furnace  and  flues.  Over  the  door  end 
there  should  be  a  shed  12  feet  wide  to  protect  the  tobacco 
from  the  sun  while  it  is  being  strung,  and  at  the  furnace 
end,  one  5  or  8  feet  wide.  Those  who  are  building  frame 


52  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

barns  will  please  note  that  sheds  front  and  rear  as  described 
with  this  building,  are  necessary. 

BARN  CURING- 

Two  methods  of  barn  curing  are  practiced  for  most 
varieties  of  tobacco.  These  are:  (i)  natural  curing,  and  (2) 
fire  curing.  As  a  rule,  the  latter  method  is  followed  only 
with  Bright  tobacco,  and  heavy  shipping  tobacco,  while  the 
natural  method  is  that  commonly  used  with  other  varieties. 
However,  artificial  heat  is  generally  recommended,  and  it  is 
used  by  successful  growers  especially  for  cigar  tobacco. 

By  either  method,  slow  drying  during  the  first,  or  "yel- 
lowing" stage  is  important.  After  this  yellowing,  the  more 
rapid  the  drying,  especially  with  yellow  tobacco,  the  better. 
In  curing  heavy  shipping  tobacco,  the  practice  now  is  to 
keep  up  only  heat  enough  to  prevent  house-burning  or  pole 
sweating.  The  fires  are  often  drawn  so  that  the  leaves  may 
come  in  case,  or  be  pliant. 

The  barns  should  be  as  nearly  air-tight  as  possible. 
They  should  be  provided  with  thorough  ventilation  and  con- 
venient means  for  controlling  the  same.  Ventilators  in  the 
ridge  pole,  which  may  be  operated  by  pulleys  from  the 
ground,  are  very  desirable.  Horizontal  ventilation,  or  ven- 
tilating shutters  in  the  sides  of  the  barn,  is  more  desirable 
than  the  usual  vertical  openings.  Tight  construction  of  the 
barn,  and  provision  for  ample  ventilation,  easily  controlled 
give  results  that  are  usually  better  than  where  the  ventila- 
tion is  more  or  less  a  matter  of  guess  work. 


TOBACCO    UNFERTILIZED.      EXPERIMENT    FARM,    NORTH    CAROLINA    STATE 
HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY,    SOUTHERN    TINES,    N.   C. 


«20.3<KPN)GL 


TOBACCO    WITH    COMPLETE   FERTILIZER.  EXPERIMENT    FARM,    NORTH 

CAROLINA   STATE    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY,    £OyTHERN   PINES,    N.  C_ 


54  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

Extreme  care  during  the  first  few  days  of  the  curing 
process  is  necessary,  lest  with  hot,  dry  weather  the  process 
proceed  too  rapidly.  If  such  conditions  exist,  ventilators 
should  be  kept  closed  during  most  of  the  day,  but  be  open 
at  night,  as  by  this  means,  slower,  early-curing  is  secured. 
After  the  "lemon  condition"  has  been  evenly  secured,  dry- 
ing should  be  hastened.  Tobacco  in  the  barn  should  not  be 
crowded  until  the  stalks  and  midribs  are  well  cured. 

FORMULA  FOR  CURING  BRIGHT  TOBACCO  BY 
ARTIFICIAL  HEAT. 

No  one  can  advise  another  just  exactly  how  to  run  the 
heat,  or  how  to  cure  tobacco,  unless  he  be  there  in  person 
throughout  the  time  of  curing.  There  is  a  wide  different 
in  the  kinds  of  tobacco,  some  yellow,  some  green,  some  ripe, 
some  light  bright,  some  heavy,  some  thin  and  smooth,  some 
thick  and  coarse.  The  careful  or  expert  curer  is  governed 
by  the  condition  of  the  tobacco  itself.  Too  much  heat  in 
drying  the  leaf  will  scald  or  scorch  it  through  and  through, 
while  not  enough  heat  will  redden  the  leaf  on  the  inside. 
While  drying  it  is  better  to  run  the  heat  as  fast  as  possible, 
short  of  scalding  or  scorching  the  leaf. 

As  soon  as  barns  are  filled  with  tobacco  from  the  fields 
before  retiring  at  night,  build  fires  in  the  flues  and  run  the 
heat  to  90  degrees  Fahrenheit,  but  make  sure  that  the  heat 
will  not  exceed  90.  By  morning,  the  barn  will  be  about 
cooled  off.  Then  build  fires  sufficient  to  run  the  heat  up  tc 


TOBACCO  CULTURE.  55 

90  degrees  again,  and  you  can  work  at  something  else  for 
the  day.  At  night  build  fires  again  to  90  degrees,  and  keep 
running  the  heat  to  90  degrees  each  night  and  morning  until 
the  tobacco  is  yellow  three  or  four  inches  up  the  leaves 
from  the  tips.  Then  run  the  heat  up  to  1 10  ;  let  it  stay  at  1 10 
degrees  for  one  hour  with  doors  and  bottom  ventilators  open, 
then  raise  the  heat  to  120  till  the  leaf  is  cured  one-third  its 
length  on  the  bottom  tier,  raise  to  130  degrees,  and  stay  at  130 
until  the  bottom  tier  is  cured,  advance  the  heat  to  140  and 
keep  it  at  140  for  five  hours.  Then  raise  the  heat  to  1 60  degrees 
and  have  it  remain  at  160  till  the  leaf  is  cured  in  the  top  of 
the  barn  ;  advance  to  180  degrees  and  stay  at  180  till  the 
stems  are  about  all  cured;  then  raise  heat  to  200  degrees  for 
20  minutes;  then  let  the  heat  down  to  180  degrees,  and  if  the 
stems  in  the  corner  of  barn  are  thoroughly  cured,  stop  firing 
and  let  the  barn  cool  off  ;  the  work  is  done. 

Yellow  the  tobacco  with  closed  doors  ;  open  the  doors 
at  no  degrees,  and  keep  them  open  until  you  reach  160  de- 
grees, then  close  the  doors  ;  close  bottom  ventilators  at  180. 
The  reason  for  letting  the  heat  up  and  down  while  yellow- 
ing, is  that  the  tobacco  has  time  to  dry  and  will  stand  the 
heat  in  drying  better,  and  does  not  begin  to  dry  before  it  is 
yellow. 

Some  claim  that  it  is  not  best  to  carry  the  heat  to  over 
180  degrees,  but  experience  shows  that  if  the  heat  is  run  to 
200  degrees  for  15  or  20  minutes,  it  takes  out  all  the  green 
taste  and  smell  and  the  tobacco  will  keep  sound  and  sweet 
and  may  be  packed  down  better  than  when  cured  with  less 


TOHACCO   UNFERTILIZED.      EXI'KRIMFNT   FARM,    NORTH   CAROLINA   STATE 
HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY,    SOUTHERN    PINES,    N.    C. 


TOBACCO   FERTILIZED.      EXPERIMENT   FARM.    NORTH   CAROLINA  STATE 
HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY,    SOUTHERN   PINES,    N.    C. 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  57 

heat.  Nothing  succeeds  like  success,  and  if  you  know  how 
to  dry  tobacco  well,  yuu  will  be  successful.  Be  careful  not 
to  scorch  it. 

No  general  flue -curing  system  is  yet  adopted  for  other 
than  the  Bright  tobacco.  The  two  things  to  see  about  are 
that  fires  are  maintained  in  stoves  or  furnaces  outside  of  the 
curing  room  proper,  and  that  the  heat  is  properly  conducted 
through  the  lower  part  of  the  barn  by  return  flues  or  smoke 
pipes.  The  heat  naturally  rising  to  the  upper  portion  of  the 
barn,  affects  all  portions  alike.  Open  fires  only  are  employed 
in  the  heavy  shipping  districts.  The  creosotic  compounds 
deposited  on  the  leaves  by  smoke  impart  a  flavor  which  is 
highly  regarded  by  European  consumers. 

MARKETING. 

The  sweating,  fermenting  or  finishing  of  the  leaf  is  a 
manufacturing  process,  and  does  not  naturally  belong  to 
the  province  of  the  grower,  whose  crop  must  be  marketed 
in  a  barn-cured  condition.  In  most  tobacco  districts,  except 
those  particularly  devoted  to  cigar  leaf,  the  warehouse  sys- 
tem of  marketing,  which  is  practically  the  same  as  that 
practiced  with  the  cotton  crop,  is  in  vogue.  Cigar  tobaccos 
are  packed  in  boxes,  yellow  tobacco  in  tierces,  heavy  tobac- 
cos in  hogsheads. 

Cigar  tobacco  is  generally  sold  either  green  in  the  field 
or  while  still  hanging  in  the  curing  barn.  But  such  practice 
opens  the  way  to  serious  misunderstandings  between  buyef 


58  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

and  seller,  so  that  it  should  only  be  followed  where  binding 
written  contracts,  covering  all  details,  can  be  made. 

The  value  of  tobacco  is  largely  a  question  of  personal  judg- 
ment. There  are  no  actual  standard  grades  like  those  recognized 
in  the  wheat  and  cotton  trades,  and  therefore  every  grower  should 
post  himself  thoroughly  on  the  actual  demands  of  the  market  for 
the  kind  of  tobacco  which  he  produces,  and  especially  as  to  the 
effects  of  different  methods  of  growing  and  fertilizing  upon  the 
quality  of  the  leaf. 

INSECT  ENEMIES. 

Tobacco  is  attacked  by  a  considerable  number  of  insect 
pests.  The  number  is  perhaps  not  greater  than  that  prey- 
ing upon  other  farm  crops,  but  their  depredations  may  be 
far  more  serious,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  value  of  the 
growth  depends  so  largely  upon  the  perfection  and  appear- 
rance  of  the  leaf,  which  insects  prey  upon. 

FLEA.  BEETLES.  This  pest  chiefly  attacks  the  young 
tobacco  plant  during  its  first  stage  of  growth.  Two  different 
species  of  these  beetles  are  recognized ;  the  first  is  black  in 
color  with  the  exception  of  feet  and  antennae  ;  the  second 
is  longer,  but  otherwise  about  the  same  size  and  of  a  dull 
black  color,  except  that  its  feet,  antennae,  and  under  part 
of  the  body  are  light  yellow.  The  injury  is  done  through 
sucking  of  the  juices  of  the  plant,  and  being  a  sucking  in- 
sect, poison  is  of  little  avail  against  it.  The  surest  protection 
is  the  covering  of  the  beds  with  cloth  as  described,  although 


PREPARING   TOBACCO   FOR    CURING.       EXPERIMENT   FARM,    NORTH    CAROLINA 
STATE   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY,    SOUTHERN    PINES,    N.    C. 


TOBACCO  READY   FOR   CURING.  EXPERIMENT  FARM,    NORTH   CAROLINA 

STATE   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY,    SOUTHERN   PINES,    N.    C. 


60  TOBACCO  CULTURE;. 

sprinkling  the  plants  with  land  plaster,  fine  wood  ashes,  ot 
dust  is  somewhat  effective. 

CUT- WORM.  These  pests  are  most  injurious  to  the  new- 
ly set  out  plants.  They  cut  through  the  stem  of  the  plant 
just  at  the  surface  of  the  soil,  their  depredations  being  com- 
mitted almost  entirely  at  night.  They  hide  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil,  as  soon  as  daylight  arrives  ;  but  their  love 
of  shelter  and  darkness  may  be  made  their  ruin.  A  scatter- 
ing of  small  boards,  shingles,  or  even  armfuls  of  cut  grass 
through  the  field,  attracts  them  as  shelter,  beneath  which 
they  can  readily  be  found  in  the  morning  and  destroyed. 
The  poisoning  of  green  grass  by  a  mixture  of  Paris  green 
and  bran  may  be  used,  if  handfulls  of  the  mixture  be  scat- 
tered between  the  rows.  But  really  the  best  protection 
against  this  pest  is  in  the  line  of  prevention,  which  may  be 
secured  by  clean  culture  and  the  burning  of  all  litter  and 
useless  vegetable  growths  in  the  fall,  so  that  their  winter 
hybernating  places  are  destroyed 

GREEN  HORNWORM. 

This  is  a  distinctive  tobacco  worm.  The  only  sure  pro- 
tection is  by  hand  picking  and  destruction.  When  the  pest 
becomes  prevalent,  this  must  be  vigorously  followed  day  by 
day,  as  its  depredations  upon  the  leaf  result  in  the  eating  of 
large  holes,  and  it  may  end  in  utterly  ruining  the  crop  so 
far  as  successful  wrapper  tobacco  is  concerned.  The  moth 
which  lays  the  eggs  for  the  worm  may  be  trapped  by  ex- 
posing the  blossoms  of  common  jimson  into  which  has  been 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  6l 

dropped  a  mixture  of  cobalt  and  honey.  It  is  quite  necessary 
that  the  tobacco  be  thoroughly  hand  wormed  just  previous 
to  harvesting.  Otherwise,  the  worms  will  be  conveyed  to 
the  barn,  where  their  depredations  continue  so  long  as  the 
tobacco  remains  green.  A  few  toads  harbored  and  protected 
in  the  tobacco  barn  will  destroy  many  of  the  worms  which 
have  escaped  from  the  field  to  the  barn  in  this  way.  The 
green  worm,  as  well  as  grasshoppers,  crickets,  and  other  pests 
living  on  the  growing  leaves,  may  be  destroyed  by  the  use 
of  Paris  green,  either  in  dry  mixture,  or  in  water  by  sprink- 
ling or  spraying  the  crop  in  the  same  \vay  that  protection  is 
secured  against  the  ravages  of  the  potato  bug. 

DISEASES  OF  TOBACCO, 

This  crop  is  not  subject  to  many  serious  diseases,  yet  a 
few  require  mention. 

Rust  or  Fire  Blight  is  the  most  common  disease  of  the 
growing  plant.  This  disease  is  one  which  the  grower  can 
control,  by  avoiding  the  use  of  too  large  a  quantity  of  veg- 
etable manure,  the  heating  or  decomposition  of  which,  if 
followed  by  dry  weather,  has  an  injurious  influence  upon 
the  crop.  Havana  tobacco  is  very  subject  to  this  trouble, 
especially  during  the  hot  rainy  weather  of  August.  A  good 
preventive  is  a  heavy  mulching  of  the.  soil  after  the  last  cul- 
tivation. Fine  straw  makes  an  excellent  mulch,  and  is  eas- 
ily raked  up  and  applied.  Wherever  used  in  sufficient  bulk 
it  always  proves  a  success. 

Spotted  Leaf  ,  or,  as   it   is  commonly  called,  Calico  Leaf, 


TOBACCO   FIELD   NEAR   WINSTON,    N.    C« 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  63 

is  more  or  less  prevalent,  and  is  due  to  the  presence  of  a 
fungus,  against  which  no  protection  has  yet  been  found. 

Frenching  is  a  more  or  less  serious  disease  in  many  lo- 
calities being  particularly  prevalent  upon  clay  or  badly 
drained  lands.  It  is  far  more  common  in  wet  than  in  dry 
seasons.  It  shows  itself  in  the  buds  of  the  plants,  which 
become  a  sickly  yellow,  and  the  leaves  instead  of  attaining 
a  natural  growth  develop  long,  thick,  fleshy  growths,  wholly 
unlike  the  normal  leaf,  often  being  simply  long,  narrow 
masses  of  foliage,  possessing  almost  no  resemblance  to  the 
typical  foliage  of  the  plant.  Such  tobacco  is  absolutely 
worthless.  For  the  disease,  no  remedy  can  be  suggested, 
although  thorough  drainage  of  lands  where  it  has  appeared 
is  a  preventive  measure. 

The  most  important  disease  of  the  curing  leaf  is  Pole 
sweat  or  House-burn.  This  is  the  product  of  bacterial  in- 
fection or  partial  decomposition  of  the  tissues  of  the  leaf, 
superinduced  by  hot  murky  weather,  or  too  close  packing 
in  the  barn.  Rapid  drying  is  a  protective  measure.  The 
disease  results  in  change  of  the  color  of  the  leaf  from  the 
natural  greenish  yellow  to  a  deep  brown,  and  the  whole  leaf 
becomes  transformed  from  its  natural  fine  textured  condi- 
tion to  a  soggy  mass  without  elasticity  or  strength.  No  cure 
has  been  suggested,  but  thorough  ventilation  of  the  curing 
barn,  and  the  use  of  artificial  heat  for  rapid  drying  after  the 
first  stage  is  past,  are  the  most  practical  means  of  prevention. 

Stem  Rot  attacks  the  leaf  in  the  later  stage  of  curing  and 
shows  itself  in  the  presence  of  whitish  patches  of  mold  upon 


64  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

the  stalk  and  rib.  This  is  a  fungous  growth  against  which 
no  cure  can  be  suggested,  but  the  nature  of  the  infection 
itself  suggests  an  effective  remedy.  Absolute  cleanliness  in 
the  curing  barn,  and  the  annual  destruction  ot  all  refuse 
from  the  previous  crop  furnishes  reasonably  certain  protec- 
tion by  destroying  any  spores  of  the  disease  existing  in  the 
previous  crop. 


TOBACCO    UNFERTILIZED. 
ON   FARM    OF    C.     K.    MCQUARRIE,    DE    FUNIAK    SPRINGS,    FLA. 


TOBACCO    FERTILIZED. 
ON   FARM    OF    C.    K.    MCQUARRIE,    DE    FUNIAK    SPRINGS,    FLA, 


APPENDIX. 


DESCRIPTION   OF  FERTILIZER   MATERIALS. 

Broadly  speaking,  there  are  two  kinds  of  fertilizers; 
those  which  are  in  themselves  a  direct  source  of  plant  food, 
and  those  which  by  their  action  tend  to  make  plant  food 
fertilizers  more  available.  While  crops  may  be  grown  with- 
out the  use  of  fertilizers  of  the  second  class,  no  crops  can 
live  without  the  fertilizers  of  the  first  class,  even  though 
ample  applications  be  made  of  the  former. 

Fertilizers  of  the  second  class  comprise  lime,  gypsum, 
and  common  salt.  They  are  all  useful,  but  rarely  indispens- 
able. Lime,  gypsum,  (plaster),  and  common  salt  are  some- 
times called  "stimulant  fertilizers."  They  tend  to  make 
rapidly  available  the  stores  of  ammonia,  potash  and  phos- 
phoric acid  naturally  present  in  the  soil.  When  stimulant 
fertilizers  are  u-ed  exclusively  for  a  term  of  years,  the  soil 
each  year  loses  ammonia,  potash  and  phosphoric  acid,  which 
are  not  replaced.  The  inevitable  result  of  such  treatment 
must  naturally  be  the  exhaustion  of  these  important  food 
constituents  from  the  soil. 

True  fertilizers  contain  forms  of  plant  food,  which  con- 
tribute directly  to  the  growth  and  substance  of  plants. 
Such  materials  may  contain  either  ammonia  or  potash,  or 


TOBACCO    CULTUR1-  67 

phosphoric  acid  compounds,  or  any  two,  or  all  three  of 
these  forms  of  plant  food  The  tables  given  at  the  end  of 
this  chapter  show  the  composition  of  the  most  commonly 
used  fertilizers. 

Nitrate  of  Sodav  known  as  "Chili  saltpetre/' is  found 
in  large  deposits  which  have  been  formed  in  the  rainless 
regions  of  Chili  and  Peru. 

Sulphate  of  Ammonia  is  formed  from  waste  materials 
produced  in  the  manufacture  of  illuminating  gas  or  coke. 

Whole  Cotton  Seed.  Whole  cotton  seed  is  rather  slow 
in  becoming  available  as  fertilizer.  By  rotting  to  "kill"  the 
seed  it  is  made  more  effective.  The  common  practice  is  to 
pile  in  large  heaps  and  leave  standing  for  several  months. 
This  not  only  kills  the  seed,  but  also  prevents  the  injurious 
action  sometimes  observed  from  using  raw  seed  as  manure. 

Cotton  Seed  Meal  is  the  product  formed  by  removing 
the  oil  from  cotton  seed  by  pressure,  after  which  the  mate- 
rial is  dried  and  ground.  The  hulls  of  the  cotton  seed  also 
possess  considerable  fertilizing  value. 

Tobacco  Stems  are  the  refuse  from  tobacco  factories. 

Dried  Blood  consists  of  blood  obtained  from  slaughter- 
ing animals  ;  it  is  prepared  for  market  by  coagulating,  dry- 
ing and  grinding.  The  color  varies  from  red  to  black. 

Dried  Fish  Scrap,  consists  of  the  meat  and  bone  of  fish 
after  the  oil  has  been  pressed  out,  it  is  dried  artificially  and 
ground  for  market. 

Heat  Scraps  or  Tankage,  etc.,  are  slaughter-house 
refuse,  dried  and  ground. 


68  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

Nitrogenous  Guanos  are  formed  in  dry  regions.  The 
Peruvian  guano  is  rich  in  ammonia,  containing  8  per  cent, 
or  more.  They  usually  contain  7  to  12  per  cent,  phosphoric 
acid,  and  about  i  per  cent,  potash. 

Bones  consist  mostly  of  phosphate  of  lime,  which  con- 
stitutes from  one-half  to  three-fifths  of  the  weight  of  the 
bone.  The  remaining  portion  is  a  soft,  fleshlike  substance 
commonly  called  gelatin.  It  is  distributed  throughout  the 
entire  mass  of  bone,  and  is  rich  in  nitrogen.  When  bones 
are  burned,  the  nitrogenous  matter  is  driven  off  and  only 
the  mineral  portion  of  phosphate  of  lime  remains.  Bones, 
such  as  arc  used  in  making  commercial  fertilizers,  contain 
5  to  6  per  cent,  of  ammonia,  and  from  20  to  25  per  cent,  of 
phosphoric  acid,  about  two-thirds  of  which  is  insoluble  and 
approximately  one-third  available. 

Bone  Products.  All  forms  of  bone  products  are  valu- 
able fertilizers,  as  they  supply  phosphoric  ncid,  and  gener- 
ally ammonia  also.  The  most  common  forms  are  bone 
black,  bone  meal  and  bone  tankage.  Bone-black  is  a  by- 
product of  sugar  refining,  and  contains  from  30  to  35  per 
cent,  phosphoric  acid,  more  than  half  of  which  is  immedi- 
ately available.  Bone  meal  is  simply  ground  bones,  steamed 
or  raw.  It  contains  3  to  6  per  cent,  of  ammonia  and  20  to  25 
per  cent,  of  phosphoric  acid.  Bone  tankage  is  a  very  irreg- 
ular product,  but  follows  bone  meal  closely  in  composition. 
It  is  a  by-product  of  the  smaller  packing  houses. 

Phosphate  rock.  This  is  a  mineral  phosphate,  found  in 
various  States.  In  a  raw  condi'ion  it  contains  from  25  to 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  69 

35  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid,  all  of  which  is  insoluble  and 
not  available  for  plant  food.  The  mineral  has  to  be  treated 
with  sulphuric  acid,  before  the  phosphoric  acid  can  be  liber- 
ated. 

Acid  Phosphates  are  known  under  several  different 
names,  such  as  superphosphates,  dissolved  bone,  dissolved 
rock,  dissolved  bone-black,  etc.  Acid  phosphates  are  formed 
by  treating  some  form  of  insoluble  phosphate  of  lime,  as 
rock-phosphate,  bone,  bone-ash,  etc.,  with  sulphuric  acid. 
By  this  treatment  there  are  formed  soluble  phosphates  of 
lime  and  gypsum  (sulphate  of  lime)  in  nearly  equal  pro- 
portions. 

Cotton  Seed  Hull  Ashes  were  produced  in  the  South 
at  the  cotton  seed  oil  factories,  where  the  hulls,  after  being 
removed  from  the  cotton  seed,  were  used  as  fuel.  This  ma- 
terial is  not  commonly  found  now. 

Kainit  is  the  most  common  product  of  the  German 
potash  mines.  It  is  a  mixture  of  several  different  com- 
pounds, containing  12  to  13  per  cent,  of  actual  potash,  to- 
gether with  about  35  per  cent,  of  common  salt,  also  mag- 
nesia salts. 

Muriate  of  Potash  also  a  product  of  the  Stassfurt 
mines,  is  the  main  source  of  supply  for  potash  for  com- 
mercial fertilizers  in  our  market,  and  contains  from  50  to 
53  per  cent,  of  actual  potash. 

Sulphate  of  Potash  is  a  product  of  the  German  miri^s. 
The  product  found  in  the  market  contains  from  48  to  51 
per  cent .  of  actual  potash. 


TOBACCO   UNFERTILIZED. 

ON    FARM   OF   T.    B.    LINDSAY,    DOUGLAS,    N.    C. 


TOBACCO    FERTILIZED. 
ON   FARM    OF   T.    B.    LINDSAY,    DOUGLAS,    N.    C. 


CUBAN   TOBACCO    ON    NEW    GROUND.         FLORIDA    EXPERIMENT    STATION. 


TOBACCO    ON    NEW    GROUND.       SHADING    TRANSPLANTED    PLANTS. 
FLORIDA    EXPERIMENT    STATION 


>2  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

rianure  Salt  is  another  product  of  the  Stassfurt  mines 
and  contains  a  minimum  of  20  per  cent,  actual  potash. 

Sulphate  of  Potash=Magnesia  is  known  also  as  Double 
Manure  Salt,  or  low  grade  sulphate  of  potash  This  mate- 
rial comes  from  the  German  mines  and  contains  26  to  28 
per  cent  of  actual  potash.  It  also  contains  32  to  36  per 
cent,  of  sulphate  of  magnesia. 

Carbonate  (  f  Potash=riagnesia  contains  about  1 8  per 
cent,  potash  and  19  per  cent,  magnesia,  both  as  carbonates. 
It  is  practically  free  of  chlorine.  It  is  also  a  product  of  the 
German  potash  mines. 

Wood  Ashes  contain  more  or  less  potash,  which  is  pres- 
ent chiefly  in  the  form  of  carbonate. 

There  are  several  very  inferior  sources  of  ammonia,  such 
as  hair,  ho.>f  meal  or  horn-dust,  leather  scrap  or  meal,  etc. 
While  all  these  materials  contain  much  ammonia,  they  de- 
cay so  slowly  in  the  soil  that  they  have  a  very  uncertain  fer- 
tilizer value.  These  substances  are  from  their  very  nature 
slow  to  decompose,  and  when  used  with  other  materials,  are 
sure  to  cause  disappointment  from  the  lack  of  available  am- 
monia to  accompany  the  potash  and  phosphoric  acid. 

TERMS  USED  IN    STATING  FERTILIZER 

ANALYSES. 

Fertilizer  dealers,  and  the  Experiment  Station  Bulletins 
treat  the  different  forms  of  fertilizer  materials  separately 
.and  it  is  important  that  the  farmer  should  be  familiar  with 
ihese  trade  names,  and  understand  what  they  mean. 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  73 

The  following  list  contains  most  of  the  terms  used  in 
stating  fertilizer  analyses: 

Ammonia  is  expressed  as 

(a)  Nitrogen,  (&)  Ammonia,  (<r)   Nitrogen  equal  (or 
equivalent)  to  Ammonia, 
Phosphoric  Acid  is  expressed  as 

(<z)  Phosphoric  Acid,  (/;)  Soluble  Phosphoric  Acid, 
(c)  Reverted  Phosphoric  Acid,  (d)  Available  Phos- 
phoric Acid,  (e)  Soluble  and  Available  Phosphoric 
Acid,  (/")  Insoluble  Phosphoric  Acid,  (g)  Total 
Phosphoric  Acid,  (/i)  Phosphoric  Acid  equal  (or 
equivalent)  to  Bone  Phosphate  of  Lime. 
Potash  is  expressed  as 

(a)  Potasjh,  (b)  Potash  (actual),  (c)  Potash  S.  (or 
Sul.),  W  Potash  (Soluble),  (e)  Potash  as  Sulphate, 
(/)  Potash  equal  (or  equivalent)  to  Sulphate  of  Pot- 
ash, (g)  Sulphate  of  Potash,  (//)  Potassium  Oxide. 

Nitrogen.    (Ammonia). 

(a)  Nitrogen  is  a  gas  and,  in  this  form,  cannot  be  used 
in  fertilizers.  Therefore,  whenever  we  speak  of  nitrogen  in 
fertilizers  we  do  not  mean  that  nitrogen  exists  in  them  as 
simple  nitrogen.  The  nitrogen  in  fertilizers  is  always  com- 
bined with  other  elements,  and  may  be  present  in  one  or 
more  different  forms:  (ist)  in  the  form  of  Nitrates,  as  ni- 
trate of  soda;  (2nd)  in  the  form  of  ammonia  compounds,  as 
sulphate  of  ammonia;  and  (jrd)  in  the  form  of  organic  mat- 
ter, animal  or  vegetable,  as  dried  blood,  meat,  tobacco  stems, 
-etc.  Chemical  analysis  according  to  official  methods  does 


TOBACCO    CCTLTUKE.  75 

not  attempt   to  ascertain  and  state  in  which  iorm  or  forms 
the  nitrogen  is  present  in  a  fertilizer. 

When,  therefore,  nitrogen  is  expressed  in  an  analysis  or 
guarantee  as  "ammonia,"  it  refers  to  the  entire  amount  of 
nitrogen  present  without  regard  to  the  particular  form  or 
forms  in  which  it  is  present. 

(H)  Ammonia  consists  of  nitrogen  combined  with  hy- 
drogen. A  pound  of  nitrogen  will  form  more  than  a  pound 
of  ammonia,  because  the  ammonia  formed  from  a  pound  of 
nitrogen  will  contain  that  pound  of  nitrogen  plus  the  neces- 
sary amount  of  hydrogen  added  to  form  ammonia.  The 
chemical  relations  of  nitrogen  and  ammonia  are  such  that 
14  pounds  of  nitrogen  will  unite  with  exactly  3  pounds  of 
hydrogen,  and  will,  therefore,  produce  just  17  pounds  of 
ammonia;  or  one  pound  of  nitrogen  will  make  1.214  pounds 
of  ammonia. 

(c)  Nitrogen  (equal  or  equivalent)  to  Ammonia  is  a 

form  of  expression  which  simply  means  that  the  nitrogen  is 
stated  not  as  nitrogen  but  as  ammonia. 

It  would  be  better  on  every  account  if  all  guarantees 
stated  simply  nitrogen  and  never  mentioned  ammonia  at  all. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  compounds  of  ammonia  are  quite  un- 
common in  commercial  fertilizers,  because  nitrogen  in  this 
form  is  the  most  expensive  and,  therefore,  least  used.  Strict- 
ly speaking,  the  term  ammonia  should  never  be  used  except 
when  sulphate  of  ammonia  or  some  similar  compound  is 
present  in  the  fertilizer. 


?  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

PHOSPHORIC  ACID. 

(a)  Phosphoric  Acid,  as  used  in  connection  with  fertili- 
zers,   is  a  compound  containing   phosphorus  and   oxygen, 
which  in  fertilizers  is  never  found  by  itself,  but  in  combina- 
tion with  lime.     Phosphoric  Acid  stands  for  a  certain  amount 
of  phosphate  of  lime.     We  may  say  roughly  that  one  part  of 
phosphoric  acid  is  equivalent  to  about  two  parts  of  phos- 
phate of  lime.     But  we  know  that  phosphoric  acid  exists  in 
several  different  forms. 

(b)  Soluble  Phosphoric  Acid  represents  the  amount  of 
phosphate  of  lime  that  dissolves  easily  in  water;  it  is  formed 
by  treating  with-sulphuric  acid  some  form  of  insoluble  lime 
phosphate,  sucli  as  bones,  phosphate  rock,  etc.     The  phos- 
phate thus  formed  is  readily  soluble  in  water. 

(t)  Reverted  Phosphoric  Acid  is  formed  from  soluble 
phosphoric  acid  under  certain  conditions  into  which  we 
need  not  inquire  here.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  soluble 
compound  of  phosphoric  acid  often  changes  to  some  extent, 
on  standing,  into  a  form,  which  while  less  soluble,  is  still 
quite  readily  available  as  plant  food. 

((/)  Available  Phosphoric  Acid  includes  both  the  sol- 
uble and  reverted  forms  of  phosphoric  acid,  because  both 
forms  are  available  for  the  use  of  plants. 

(e)  Soluble  and  Available  Phosphoric  Acid  is  an  ex- 
pression which  means  the  same  as  available. 

(/)  Insoluble  Phosphoric  Acid  represents  the  form  of 
phosphoric  acid  in  raw  phosphate  of  lime,  and  which  is  of 
least  value  for  agricultural  purposes. 


TOBACCO.         ROTATION    EXPERIMENT,    COW    PEAS    FOLLOWING   TOBACCO. 
FLORIDA   EXPERIMENT    STATION. 


78  TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

(g)  Total  Phosphoric  Acid  represents  the  entire  phos- 
phoric acid  compounds  without  regard  to  the  forms  in 
which  they  exist.  The  total  phosphoric  acid  is,  therefore, 
the  sum  of  the  soluble,  reverted  and  insoluble  forms;  or,  to 
state  it  in  another  way,  the  sum  of  the  available  and  insol- 
uble forms. 

(//)  Phosphoric  Acid  equal  (or  equivalent)  to  Bone 
Phosphate  of  Lime  is  an  expression  which  usually  means 
nothing  more  or  less  than  insoluble  phosphoric  acid. 

POTASH, 

(a)  Potash,    as    used   in  connection  with  fertilizers,  al- 
ways means  a  compound  containing  potassium  and  oxygen, 
known    chemically    as  potassium   oxide.     Potash    is    never 
tound    as  such  in  fertilizers,  but  chemists,  when  expressing 
the  results  of  analyses  use  this  form  as  a  convenient  stand- 
ard for  reference.     Fertilizers  generally  contain  potash  in 
such  forms  as  sulphate  of  potash,  muriate  of  potash,  or  car- 
bonate   of  potash.     Instead  of  stating  the  amount  of  sul- 
phate, muriate  or  carbonate  of  potash  present  in  a  fertilizer, 
in  giving  the  results  of  analyses,  its  equivalent  amount  is 
stated  only  in  the  form  of  actual  potash. 

(b)  Potash  actual  is  simply  another  name  for  potash,  as 
distinct  from  sulphate,  muriate,  etc. 

(f)  Potash  S.  (or  sul.)  means  sulphate  of  potash.     This 

is  quite  often  used  by  manufacturers  in   giving  guarantees. 

(d}  Potash  soluble    represents  the  amount  of   potash 


TOBACCO    CULTURE.  79 

that  dissolves  in  water  and  is  available  for  the  use  of  plants. 
The  different  forms  of  potash  commonly  used  in  fertilizers 
are  readily  soluble  in  water. 

(e)  Potash  as  Sulphate  means  simply  sulphate  of  pot- 
ash. 

(/")  Potash  equal  (or  equivalent)  to  Sulphate  of  Pot- 
ash is  an  expression  which  means  simply  sulphate  of  potash. 

(V)  Sulphate  of  Potash  signifies  that  this  compound  is 
actually  present  in  the  fertilizer,  and  that  there  is  no  muri- 
ate present 

(//)  Potassium  Oxide  means  the  same  as  potash,  or 
actual  potash 


So 


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